Tenant law in plain language
Washington, DC

Facing Eviction in Washington, DC: What Can I Do?

Published by Nazanin · October 3, 2026

This page covers eviction notices, the court case, ways to pay and stay, and the weather days when an eviction cannot happen in Washington, DC. Each step shows the part of the law behind it.

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Not legal advice. Each answer below links to where it comes from. Read it before you act.

  1. A DC tenant who keeps paying the rent the landlord is entitled to cannot be evicted just because the lease ran out. A reason the law lists can change that. Not paying a late fee is not a reason to evict.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  2. In DC, no tenant can be evicted for any reason unless the tenant was served with a written notice that meets the legal requirements. A notice for any reason other than unpaid rent must be served on both the tenant and the Rent Administrator.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  3. For unpaid rent, a DC landlord must give you notice of the intent to file a claim at least 10 days before filing. The landlord must not give that notice if the unpaid rent is less than $600.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a-1)(1)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  4. A DC notice for unpaid rent says you can stay in the rental unit if you pay the total unpaid rent in full. The landlord can file an eviction case if you owe at least $600 and do not pay in full within 30 days of the notice.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a-1)(2)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  5. A DC court may dismiss (throw out) a landlord's claim to recover a rental unit. For example, the landlord may have skipped the notice the law requires. Or the landlord filed before the required days of notice had passed.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(4)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  6. A DC landlord may recover a rental unit (take it back) if you break a duty of the rental other than paying rent. You must fail to fix the problem within 30 days after your landlord gives you notice.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(b)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  7. A DC landlord may recover a rental unit if a court has decided that someone did an illegal act in the unit. That someone may be the tenant, or a person living there with the tenant. If the person was not the tenant, the tenant can be evicted only if the tenant knew or should have known.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(c)(1)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  8. In DC, an individual (not a company) with a freehold interest (ownership) in a rental unit may recover it. The person must seek in good faith for immediate and personal use as a home to live in. The person must serve a 90-day notice to vacate (a notice to move out) first.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(d)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  9. In DC, a landlord cannot evict a tenant on a day when the National Weather Service predicts at 8:00 a.m. that the temperature at National Airport will fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or rise above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A landlord also cannot evict when precipitation is falling at the rental unit.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(k)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  10. In DC, your landlord cannot evict you on a day when the National Weather Service predicts at 8:00 a.m. a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit at National Airport. The same goes for a temperature above 95 degrees. Your landlord also cannot evict you when precipitation (rain or snow) is falling at your home.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(k)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  11. DC limits evictions in some weather. Those limits do not apply in 3 cases. A court found you did an illegal act in the unit. A court made a specific finding that you abandoned (left) the home. A court made a specific finding that your actions or presence cause undue hardship (too much hardship). The hardship is to the health, welfare, and safety of other tenants or close neighbors.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(k)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  12. In a DC case over unpaid rent, the court may pause the case 1 time. You must give the court papers showing a pending Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) application. ERAP is rental assistance (money to help pay rent).

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(r)(1)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  13. Suppose a DC court has allowed an eviction based only on unpaid rent. You tell your landlord at least 48 hours before the eviction that you have an approved ERAP application. ERAP is the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, rental assistance (money to help pay rent). The application must pay the full amount needed to redeem the tenancy (keep the right to stay by paying). Then the landlord must cancel the eviction.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(r)(3)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  14. No DC landlord may take retaliatory action (action against a tenant who uses a right under the housing law or any other law). Retaliatory action may include a case to recover a rental unit that the law does not otherwise permit.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.02(a)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

  15. A DC court presumes (assumes) retaliation if, within the 6 months before the landlord's action, the tenant did a listed thing. The court rules for the tenant unless the landlord shows clear and convincing evidence otherwise. A listed thing is, for example, a witnessed oral or written repair request, or legal action against the landlord.

    D.C. Code § 42-3505.02(b)

    ✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026

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