D.C. lawmakers will vote Tuesday on legislation that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants who haven’t paid rent and — in some cases — owe tens of thousands of dollars.
The proposed legislation rolls back some protections D.C. put in place for low-income residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the law protects tenants from eviction each time they apply for the emergency rental assistance program, ERAP, for help. That protection exists even if tenants are not approved for assistance.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said as many as 20% of renters in D.C. aren’t paying each month, costing landlords hundreds of millions of dollars. Landlords are facing more than $100 million in unpaid rent for 2024 alone, according to Bowser…