District of Columbia landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

The rules Occupella applies to properties in District of Columbia, from our jurisdiction data. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the statute, or a local attorney, before you act.

Data version: 2026-08All 50 states and DC
Local rules apply here. RAD registration is license-to-operate
  • District-wide: Basic Business License + RAD registration required; rent control on covered buildings; TOPA gives tenants purchase rights on sale

Security deposit

Maximum deposit
1 month's rent
Return deadline
45 days after the tenancy ends
Penalty for late return
up to 3x for bad faith
Interest owed
Yes

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: 14 DCMR §§308-311

Late fees

Rule
capped at 5% of monthly rent
Grace period
5 days

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit
30 days
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
for-cause only
Notice before entering a unit
48 hours

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection
Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others
A dedicated property-management license.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Among the slowest: 4 months or more, in tenant-protective courts. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

  • Rent Administration Division (RAD) registration required; rent control applies to most pre-1976 buildings with landlords owning 5+ units
  • Dedicated property-manager license jurisdiction

Rent-stabilized increase

Formula
CPI-W + 2%, capped at 10% (elderly/disabled: CPI only, capped at 5%)
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
DC Rent Administrator, spring
Applies to
rent-stabilized (RAD-registered) units

Source: DC rent stabilization

Interest owed on deposits

Formula
rate set per DCMR schedule
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
DC, annually
Applies to
district-wide

Source: 14 DCMR §311

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties
30 days
Note
Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024

Data version 2026-08. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and the version is when our data was last reviewed, not a promise that every rule is still current.

Landlord rules for every state

Rules applied per property

Occupella looks up these rules for each property's own state and does the date arithmetic, like the day a deposit is due back. 14 days free, no card.

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