D.C. Council advances rental overhaul on first reading after heated debate over evictions and TOPA

WASHINGTON — The D.C. Council took a first‑reading vote on the Rental Act (Bill 26‑164) on Monday, July 28, approving the measure as amended after a contentious debate focused on shorter eviction timelines and changes to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, known as TOPA.

Council Chair Phil Mendelson opened the additional legislative meeting in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building and pushed the bill to first reading. “This vote on the rental act is not about scoring political points. It's about solving D.C.'s housing crisis for our residents,” Council member Robert White, chair of the Council’s Committee on Housing, said, describing the measure as “data driven” and intended to balance tenant and landlord needs.

Why it matters: The bill aims to speed eviction timelines, revise TOPA exemptions for new construction, and restructure the D.C. Housing Authority’s board — all changes that council members and advocates warned will alter tenants’ protections and affect housing investment in the District.

Most significant provisions and debate

• Eviction timelines: The committee substitute reduces the pre‑filing notice period for nonpayment from 30 days to 10 days and the summons hearing interval to 14 days in some cases; it also narrows how notice defects must be treated. White said the shorter timeline “gives tenants 10 days more than they had before COVID‑19” in some contexts and argued the change was necessary to reduce a court backlog that is discouraging investment in housing. Opponents said the change would accelerate evictions and risk more people losing housing without adequate time to respond. Council member Lewis George offered an amendment to retain stricter mandatory dismissal protections when plaintiffs fail to properly serve tenants; that amendment failed on a roll call (5 yes, 7 no).

• TOPA exemptions for new construction and covenants: The substitute creates a 15‑year TOPA exemption for certain newly constructed buildings and allows exemptions when a buyer signs a binding affordability covenant (20 years). Council member Matt Fruman proposed restricting the 15‑year exemption to prospective buildings only; Fruman said retroactive exemption would “take TOPA rights from a category of tenants who are in buildings that have been constructed…