At Bread for the City, we believe that all DC residents deserve safe, stable, and affordable housing. Mayor Bowser’s newly proposed Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords Act (RENTAL Act) raises serious concerns about the future of tenant protections in our city, particularly for low-income residents who already face immense barriers to securing and maintaining housing.

Concerning components of the act:

• Rolls back the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) for “market-rate buildings”
• Shortens the eviction notice time from 30 to 10 days and speeds up court proceedings
• Removes the automatic eviction stay for tenants with a pending Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP) application and limits the definition of what qualifies as an emergency situation.
• Removes city liability for district-funded properties with construction failures or unlivable conditions.
• Removes rental debt from DC Consumer Protection Procedures ActCriminalizes tenants indiscriminately for arrests that may or may not be related to housing

Rolling back the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) would strip tenants of critical rights and make it even harder for them to remain in their homes or access affordable housing. For decades, TOPA has been a key option for tenants—many of whom are Black and brown, elderly, or living on fixed incomes—to prevent displacement and fight for housing security in a rapidly gentrifying city. Weakening these protections without adequate alternatives risks furthering inequities and putting more DC families at risk of eviction and homelessness.

Instead of eroding tenant rights, we urge city leaders to focus on real solutions: increasing funding for eviction prevention, expanding affordable housing investments, and strengthening protections that allow longtime DC residents to stay in their communities.

We stand with tenants and will continue fighting for policies prioritizing housing justice over developer and landlord interests. Tell the DC Council to vote “NO!” and, instead, listen to the voices of impacted residents and take action that truly addresses the housing crisis—without putting our city’s most vulnerable at greater risk.