The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously approved an emergency declaration and the underlying temporary legislation on Jan. 7 to continue rent-stabilized inflation protections through April 30, 2025.

Councilmember Robert White, who moved the measure after the consent agenda was reconsidered to allow his participation, said the protections respond to record inflation two years earlier that produced steep rent increases for tenants in rent-stabilized units. “We had to act to address these challenges,” White said, adding that the measure maintains a two-year cumulative cap meant to cover residents who already faced steep increases.

The declaration (PR26-15) and the underlying temporary act (Bill 26-1) do not change other elements of the rent stabilization law; White said the continuation will keep the protections in place through the program’s intended timeline. The council adopted both the emergency declaration and the underlying temporary bill without recorded opposition.

The council’s actions preserve the prior emergency protections for a narrow, specified period rather than altering the statute permanently; the measures were advanced at the request of the mayor and were considered together as temporary legislation during the Jan. 7 session.