Mayor Bowser Announces New Legislation to Modernize Housing Laws and Protect Affordable Housing in DC

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a comprehensive legislative package designed to modernize the District’s housing laws, improve the efficiency and predictability of the housing court process, support tenants, preserve affordable housing and strengthen investment in the District’s housing stock. The legislation, the Housing Investment Protection Act of 2026 and the Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act of 2026, will advance Mayor Bowser’s broader housing strategy by creating a more effective regulatory environment while preserving the District’s leadership in affordable housing production and ensuring the city remains an attractive place to build, preserve, and invest in housing for current and future residents.

“By adding tens of thousands of new homes over the past decade, we’ve been able to blunt the rise in housing costs and get more Washingtonians into affordable housing. But to keep making housing more affordable, we have to make sure DC is a place where people want to keep building,”said Mayor Bowser. “This legislation is about creating a fairer, more predictable housing system that protects tenants, while giving housing providers the confidence to continue investing in our neighborhoods.”

While the District continues to lead the region in affordable housing production and rents have declined since the pandemic, the broader housing environment has become more challenging: multifamily construction has slowed markedly, affordable housing deliveries have dropped, operating costs have risen and market uncertainty is making financing increasingly difficult.

“Our housing policies must protect residents while ensuring we can continue to build, preserve and invest in the housing our city needs,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert. “The Acts introduced will deliver needed updates that respond to today’s housing market. By improving clarity, strengthening tenant protections, and increasing predictability, it helps stabilize the housing market, protect housing investments and support more affordable homes for Washingtonians.”

The Housing Investment Protection Act strengthens the District’s housing laws to support tenants, protect housing investments and improve the court process. Specifically, the Act will:

• Give the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) the flexibility necessary to support a tenant while their unit is repaired or rehabilitated.
• Clarify a housing provider’s right and responsibility to access their units to make repairs.
• Expand the Local Rental Supplement Program for project-based vouchers from 30% to 50%. This will expand the supply of affordable housing.
• Clarify the definition of “tenant” so it is clear who can assert the right of first refusal under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA).
• Improve the TOPA law to ensure that transactions are enforceable, prevent unintended consequences and support the administration of the program.
• Strengthen the District’s Opportunity to Purchase Act to clarify that the Mayor has ability to purchase newer buildings within a 15-year window, on an expedited timeframe, to preserve more affordable units.

The Act will also improve the court process by:

• Clarifying that tenants receiving housing vouchers are only required to pay their fair share into protective orders.
• Establishing a 60-day hearing timeline for eviction cases to ensure there is a predictable timeline for landlords and tenants.
• Modernizing processes for delivery and receipt of eviction notices.

The Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act will provide the tools necessary for the Metropolitan Police Department to remove individuals who remain in their short-term rentals or vacation units beyond the term of their stay. Specifically, the Act will:

• Amend the short-term rental law to clarify that a guest has no lawful right to remain after the conclusion of their stay.
• Make clear that guests unlawfully staying beyond their term in a short-term rental, vacation rental, or hotel are trespassing and, if needed, can be removed.

The Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act provides needed clarity on short-term stays, while Housing Investment Protection Act reflects extensive engagement with District housing agencies, housing providers, tenant advocates, attorneys and other stakeholders to address implementation challenges and improve existing housing programs. 

Stephen Glaude, President and CEO of the Coalition, emphasized that, “Supporting reforms that attract investments and make it easier to produce and preserve housing in the District is of paramount importance. The Coalition looks forward to working with the Mayor and Council on continued reforms and initiatives to revitalize housing in DC.”

Since 2015, Washington, DC has added more than 73,000 total housing units, including over 22,000 affordable housing units, helping drive down inflation adjusted rents. Under Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the District has invested more than $3 billion in affordable housing, including over $1.5 billion through the nationally recognized Housing Production Trust Fund. Compared to a decade ago, DC has 30,000 more Washingtonians living in affordable housing.

Last year, Mayor Bowser introduced the RENTAL Act to make necessary changes to address mounting pressures on the District’s housing ecosystem, including reforming the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, modernizing the eviction process, strengthening tenant safety protections and making targeted updates to TOPA to support continued housing production and investment. Introduced in response to rising operating costs, increasing rent arrears and growing financial pressures facing housing providers, the legislation was designed to protect existing affordable housing while ensuring the District could continue building more homes. Many of these key provisions were passed by the DC Council and went into effect earlier this year.

This new legislation reflects that continued leadership by making targeted updates to create a fairer, more predictable housing system that protects tenants, supports responsible housing providers, and ensures the District remains a national leader in housing production, preservation, and investment for generations to come.

Read the Housing Investment Protection Act.

Read the Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act.

Read the legislation fact sheet.

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