The DC Council Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization held a nearly nine-hour hearing on Thursday that covered five pieces of legislation related to rent control in the city. However, testimony at the hearing was less about the bills and more about the need for broader rent control reform….
Testimony was divided in two camps: tenants who think means-testing would be divisive and burdensome, and landlords and other advocates in the real estate industry who think means-testing would ensure rent control contributes to the city's affordable housing stock.
Polly Donaldson, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, and Johanna Shreve, the city's Chief Tenant Advocate, noted that the bill would be difficult to implement and enforce based on the additional workload to tenants and landlords.
Urban Turf/Nena Perry-Brown