In the first of two votes, yesterday the DC Council unanimously approved Councilmember Charles Allen’s (Ward 6) Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act of 2019, a bill that would disincentivize developers from downsizing multi-unit buildings to protect the total number of units and add a protection for tenants evicted by homeowners under the guise of using the rented space for themselves, but then turning around and renting the same space again within one year.

In the first of two votes, yesterday the DC Council unanimously approved Councilmember Charles Allen’s (Ward 6) Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act of 2019, a bill that would disincentivize developers from downsizing multi-unit buildings to protect the total number of units and add a protection for tenants evicted 

All fees collected as part of a downsizing project would be added to the District’s Housing Production Trust Fund.

“The District’s population has grown much faster than our housing supply –we need to take steps to protect and incentivize building more, not less, housing. We need to make up that ground if we want to start to put a dent in our housing affordability crisis,” said Councilmember Allen. “While this bill certainly won’t solve the issue of housing affordability on its own, it would be one more tool in the toolbox.”

The bill also adds penalties and enforcement anytime a homeowner evicts a renter under the intent of using that space as part of their home. Under current law, a homeowner cannot rent out that unit for 12 months, but there is no penalty in place to prevent someone from evicting a tenant under that premise and then renting it to a new tenant following the eviction.

“When I talk with lawyers who represent tenants, right now they have no enforcement mechanism to call on if a tenant is wrongly evicted from their rental unit. This gives tenants an opportunity to fight back if they’re losing their housing under a false premise,” said Councilmember Allen.

Councilmember Allen added, “I’d like to thank my colleague Councilmember Anita Bonds for her leadership moving this bill through the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization and I am grateful to my colleagues for their support.”

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