ABC affiliate WJLA, News on Your Side, interviewed Aaron Sokolow to discuss Squatter’s Rights in Washington, DC. In a segment called, “Legal loopholes complicate eviction of alleged squatter in DC,” they examined a case involving a woman who was in a property and the question became whether she was a tenant or a squatter. The news story on the topic can be found here. A link to Aaron’s full interview can be found here.
There is a new registration requirement for all DC landlords. Since the inception of the Rental Housing Act in 1985, all Registration and Claim of Exemption Forms could only be filed in paper. Now, DC’s Rental Accommodation Division (“RAD”) is using RentRegistry, an online database. RAD will no longer accept paper filings.
Importantly, by November 29, 2025, all housing providers must re-register all rental properties, regardless of whether the properties are already registered or are currently exempt from rent control.
The RentRegistry is meant to handle filings such as: Registration/Claim for Exemption (RAD Form 1); Amended Registration (RAD Form 2); Tenant Disclosures and Notices (RAD Forms 3, 4, and 5); Tenant Registration of Protected Status (RAD Form 6); and Rent Adjustment Notices (RAD Forms 8 and 9). The RentRegistry will require the same data and information as RAD’s paper forms.
DC has made available videos and manuals to assist landlords with the new database.
Here is the link to the landlord manual: User Guide Housing Provider Portal.
Here is the link to a 2-hour demonstration webinar: Watch the RentRegistry Demonstration.
Here is a Grid Template to assist landlords with a large number of rental units with organizing information: Grid Template.
Here is information on the rate of return calculations for landlords with rent control units: dhcd.dc.gov/ publication/form-1-rad-registration-claim-exemption-form.
Here is a nearly 2-hour demonstration webinar designed specially for “small” landlords: Training for Small Housing Providers – April 22, 2025 (stream via YouTube)
Here is a nearly 2-hour demonstration webinar designed specially for “large” landlords: Training for Large Housing Providers – April 24, 2025 (stream via YouTube)
Battino & Sokolow is also aware of multiple third-party providers who are working with landlords to handle and ensure compliance with the new registration requirements. As always, we are here to help answer questions and make sure you have the information you need to be entirely and accurately licensed and registered. If you have any questions, please call our office at 202-269-3333.
Do landlords have to provide AC? The Washington Post quoted Attorney Aaron Sokolow in an article about whether landlords are required to provide air conditioning. In the District of Columbia, the answer is: it depends. There is no law requiring landlords to provide tenants with air conditioning. But, if the landlord provides air conditioning as a service to the tenant, then the landlord must maintain it. DC Regulations define “maintain” as keeping the unit 15 degrees cooler than the outside. You can read the Washington Post article here.
On October 11, 2023, DC Mayor Bowser signed a new law governing Washington, DC Landlord and Tenant Law called the Fairness in Renting Clarification Amendment Act of 2023. A copy of the Act can be found here. This law dictates that a landlord must give at least 60-days’ notice of any rent increase. It also limits rental application fees to a maximum of $50, prohibits a landlord from charging additional cleaning expenses, and limits other fees that might otherwise be charged.
