In March, the Council, on behalf of the Mayor, introduced the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act and, before going on recess in July, the bill passed one of the required two votes to become law.  The RENTAL Act trades due process for apparent speed; it will lead to tenants being evicted more quickly and with fewer options to remain housed.  

The bill includes many provisions that will expedite the eviction process, including shortening notice periods for tenants before they can be sued for eviction, watering down a requirement that eviction notices be posted in a language tenants speak and understand, and requiring judges to enter orders for tenants to pay their rent to the court at initial hearings. This means tenants will likely have to go in person to court sooner, at a time when doing so is incredibly dangerous. Tenants facing eviction have already told us they are too fearful to go to the courthouse to defend themselves, and removing eviction protections will only compound the risks they are facing.  If the Council passes the RENTAL Act now, our immigrant neighbors will be forced to choose between risking their freedom and keeping their housing.  

As it begins its next session under gravely different circumstances, the Council can’t pass any legislation without asking: ‘Will this put our unhoused or undocumented residents in harm’s way?’  On the RENTAL Act, the answer to that is a clear yes. Legal Aid and many others have warned that the bill would lead to a further increase in eviction rates that are already at a 10-year high and push tenants toward homelessness. That prospect is even more alarming now, as federal agents are terrorizing and detaining people who sleep on the street. More than 1,500 people reportedly have been arrested and at least 50 encampments have been cleared since the bill’s first reading. In this time of uncertainty, District leaders need to stand up for District residents, not advance policies like the RENTAL Act that will create more chances for our most vulnerable neighbors to be stopped, harassed, arrested, or detained.

The RENTAL Act would have always caused tenants harm by making evictions easier and cutting back on tenant protections. In the middle of an occupation of the District, when the federal government is criminalizing homelessness and detaining our neighbors without warning, that harm will be multiplied. The DC Council should reject the RENTAL Act and keep its focus on defending District residents.