2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 42 - Real Property › Chapter 34 - Rental Housing Conversion and Sale › Subchapter I - Findings; Purposes; Definitions › § 42–3401.02. Purposes

§ 42–3401.02. Purposes.
In enacting this chapter, the Council of the District of Columbia supports the following statutory purposes:
(1) To discourage the displacement of tenants through conversion or sale of rental property, and to strengthen the bargaining position of tenants toward that end without unduly interfering with the rights of property owners to the due process of law;
(2) To preserve rental housing which can be afforded by lower income tenants in the District;
(3) To prevent lower income elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities from being involuntarily displaced when their rental housing is converted;
(4) To provide incentives to owners, who convert their rental housing, to enable lower income non-elderly tenants and tenants without disabilities to continue living in their current units at costs they can afford;
(5) To provide relocation housing assistance for lower income tenants who are displaced by conversions;
(6) To encourage the formation of tenant organizations;
(6a) To balance and, to the maximum extent possible, meet the sometimes conflicting goals of creating homeownership for lower income tenants, preserving affordable rental housing, and minimizing displacement; and
(7) To authorize necessary actions consistent with the findings and purposes of this chapter.
(Sept. 10, 1980, D.C. Law 3-86, § 102, 27 DCR 2975; Sept. 6, 1995, D.C. Law 11-31, § 3(b), 42 DCR 3239; Nov. 16, 2006, D.C. Law 16-179, § 2(b), 53 DCR 6698; Apr. 7, 2017, D.C. Law 21-239, § 2(b), 64 DCR 1588.)
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 45-1602.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 16-179, in par. (3), substituted “elderly and disabled” for “elderly”; and, in par. (4), substituted “non-elderly and non-disabled” for “non-elderly”.
Emergency Legislation
For temporary amendment of section, see § 3(b) of the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980 Reenactment and Amendment Emergency Act of 1994 (D.C. Act 10-285, July 8, 1994, 41 DCR 4904).
For temporary amendment of section, see § 3(b) of the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980 Reenactment and Amendment Emergency Act of 1995 (D.C. Act 11-47, May 4, 1995, 42 DCR 2410) and § 3(b) of the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980 Reenactment and Amendment Congressional Recess Emergency Act of 1995 (D.C. Act 11-96, July 19, 1995, 42 DCR 3837).
Temporary Legislation
For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 3(b) of Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980 Temporary Extension Amendment Act of 1994 (D.C. Law 10-176, September 22, 1994, law notification 41 DCR 6706).
Editor's Notes
Reenactment of Law 3-86: See Historical and Statutory Notes following § 42-3401.01.
Amendment of section by Law 10-144: Section 2 (b) of D.C. Law 10-144 purported to amend this section by inserting (6A) to read as follows: “In enacting this chapter, the Council of the District of Columbia supports the following statutory purposes: (6A) To balance and, to the maximum extent possible, meet the sometimes conflicting goals of creating homeownership for lower income tenants, preserving affordable rental housing, and minimizing displacement; and”.