How Can the Rent Be So High in DC When Almost Two-Thirds of All Rental Units in the District Are Subject to Rent Control?
A small number of “spoiler “units with high turnover may be the reason.
The District, along with a few other housing major markets in the nation, has rent control laws that were enacted to protect tenants against unreasonable rent increases. The laws governing rent control in these markets generally stipulate that rent increases are bound by the Consumer Price Index or other cost of living measures. These laws also allow for larger increases when units become vacant (we will return to this point later).
