Category Archives: DC Laws
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Simply Owning or Renting a Home in DC May Subject You to DC Income Tax
D.C. Simply Owning or Renting a Home in DC May Subject You to DC Income Tax (regardless of whether you live outside DC for the majority of the year) – Statutory Residency in the District of Columbia As a general proposition, States tend to impose their income taxes on people who reside within the state or who ... Read More
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Supreme Court of Maryland has clarified how public roads are established
In Board of County Commissioners v. Aiken, the Supreme Court of Maryland has clarified how public roads are established, recognizing that its prior case law “has caused confusion.” The Court agreed with the Appellate Court of Maryland’s “well-reasoned analysis and affirm[ed] its judgment in all respects.” The Appellate Court’s decision was discussed here in August, 2022. At issue ... Read More
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District of Columbia Court of Appeals clarifies public easement rules
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has clarified a pair of rulings from 1896 and 1899 as to how public easements may be accepted. In Kalorama Citizens Association v. SunTrust Bank Company, the Court held that a public easement, such as the disputed open plaza being used by vendors for a farmers’ market, ... Read More
TAGGED: #realestatelaw #DCrealestate
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Court of Special Appeals of Maryland affirms quiet title dismissal and vacates public road decision
The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland vacated a trial court determination that a public road was not established where St. Mary’s County contended that it closed the roadway and no longer maintained the parcel. In Wilkinson v. Board of County Commissioners, the Court noted the trial court had “blurred” methods establishing public roads ... Read More
TAGGED: #realestatelaw #DCrealestate
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Short-Term Rental License – DCRA Extends Grace Period for Obtaining License.
The District regulates short-term residential rentals, such as "AirBNB". The regulations are found The grace period for obtaining the license and endorsement is extended to June 9, 2022. A Basic Business license is required, with two, alternative endorsements available. Short-Term Rental Endorsement (Host is present during rental – such as renting out bedrooms). Eligibility for License: Must be within host/applicant's primary residence. Must ... Read More
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D.C. Court of Appeals Issues Decision On Condominium Lien Foreclosures And When An Appeal May Be Taken in a Consolidated Action
On March 25, 2021, the D.C. Court of Appeals issued its decision in RFB Properties II, LLC v. Deutsche Bank Company Americas (Nos. 19-CV-0529 and 19-CV-069). This decision has important ramifications on two fronts: (1) whether a party can appeal from a “final order” issued in only one of two consolidated cases; and (2) in the context of a D.C ... Read More
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The Council of the District of Columbia Approves Emergency Bill Expanding Foreclosure Protections
On March 3, 2020, the Council of the District of Columbia approved an emergency bill amending certain portions of the Housing Finance Agency Act to extend the Agency’s Reverse Mortgage Insurance and Tax Payment Program (ReMIT). ReMIT is a pilot program crafted to address seniors facing foreclosure on a reverse mortgage by providing subsidy payments (up to $25,000) to help ... Read More
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D.C. Superior Court Amends Landlord/Tenant Rules
On July 23, 2019, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia issued amendments to the Landlord and Tenant Branch Rules of Procedure. Generally, the amendments made stylistic changes that are consistent with the recent amendments to the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (i.e., the replacement of the word "shall" with "must"). Along with the stylistic changes, the amendments made several ... Read More
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Emotional Support Animals and Dangerous Dogs in Cooperative Apartment and Condo Communities
An emotional support animal (ESA) is a companion animal (typically a dog or cat) that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability. An ESA is not the same thing as a pet. Rather, for a resident of a co-op or condo who is living with a mental or psychiatric disability, an ESA may provide him ... Read More
TAGGED: esa, emotional support animal, Bronk v. Ineichen 54 F.3d 425 (7th Cir. 1995), Green v. Housing Authority of Clackamas County 994 F.Supp. 1253 (Or. 1998), Service Animals, Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, no pet rule, United States v. Cal. Mobile Home Park Mgmt. Co. 107 F.3d 1374 1380 (9th Cir. 1997), 24 C.F.R.100.201, Bronk, 54 F.3d at 429 (7th Cir. 1995), Nason v. Stone Hill Realty Ass’n, Pet Ownership for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities, 73 Fed. Reg. 63834-01, 2008 WL 4690497, D.C. Code § 8-1901, D.C. Code § 8-1902(a), Campbell v. Noble 962 A.2d 264 (D.C. 2008)
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Changes to Paid Leave Policy Go into Effect for District of Columbia Employers
Employers in Washington, D.C. have been waiting for the Universal Paid Leave Amendments Act of 2016 (the Act) to go into effect. Much to the chagrin of many small employers, that time is here. The Act creates a mandatory, employer-funded, paid leave program, which provides up to eight weeks of paid leave to covered employees working in the District of Columbia ... Read More
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Revocable Trusts and Real Property in Washington, D.C.
When thinking about transferring a Washington, D.C. real property into a revocable trust, there are several considerations to take into account. Beginning Steps: To ensure the transfer occurs properly, a deed has to be recorded. A transfer is usually exempt from transfer and recordation taxes, provided that the trust is revocable and that the grantor remains the beneficiary. Deductions: In most circumstances, the property ... Read More
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Pending Emergency Legislation to Affect Tax Sales and Recordation Tax on Leases
The Washington, D.C. Council is considering B22-922: Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2018 which, among many provisions, contains a few changes of interest to real estate practitioners which are found here. Recordation Tax: On leases in excess of 30 years, the Washington, D.C. government may determine the fair market value of the leasehold interest ... Read More
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D.C. Tax Rate Changes Effective October 1, 2018
The District of Columbia’s Office of Tax and Revenue has issued a notification of changes in various tax rates that will become effective on Monday, October 1, 2018. The real property tax for Class 2 properties will increase to $1.65 per $100 of value for properties worth less than $5,000,000; $1.77 from $5 million to $10 million; and $1.89 for ... Read More
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Housing Licensing and TOPA in the District of Columbia
Recent changes to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) in the District of Columbia have had broad repercussions in the single-family rental market. Since TOPA’s inception, the competing purposes of maintaining a rental market and encouraging tenants to leave the rental market and become homeowners have resulted in a structure that is difficult to follow and has ... Read More
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Consider Carefully The New Certification Required Under The Revised D.C. FP7
The D.C. Recorder of Deeds announced today that it has revised the Real Property Recordation and Transfer Tax Form FP 7/C (herein “FP7C”). The purpose of this revision was to “contain a self-certification of compliance with tax payment, per DC Code § 42-407(2).” That statute, reprinted below, says that D.C. shall not record if any Transfer ... Read More
DC: Proposed Laws Challenge the Airbnb Model
Vincent Orange, Councilmember of the D.C. Counsel has introduced two bills that would directly challenge the Airbnb business model. The “Short Term Rental Regulation and Housing Protection Amendment Act of 2015” would establish a Special Enforcement Division with DCRA to regulate the industry, monitor compliance by the housing providers and ... Read More
D.C. Court of Appeals: TOPA Extensions Must Be Defined To Preserve Tenant Rights
In an important new ruling construing the Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act (“TOPA”), the D.C. Court of Appeals held on September 23, 2015, that extensions of the deadlines for a seller and a tenant association to negotiate a sales contract must be express and contain a definite end-date to ... Read More
U.S. Supreme Court: Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right
[caption id="attachment_315" align="alignright" width="150"] Photo Credit: US Rep. Mark Pocan Twitter[/caption] Coincidentally timed on the anniversary of the decisions in Lawrence v. Texas and U.S. v. Windsor, two prior gay-rights cases, Justice Kennedy announced the majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the five-person majority held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires all ... Read More
TAGGED: Supreme Court, gay marriage, marriage equality
DC Tenant Bill of Rights– Landlords to Amend Their Practices as of July 3!
In August of 2014, then Mayor Vincent Gray signed a bill into law that requires landlords to provide their tenants with a copy of the District of Columbia Tenant Bill of Rights. The District has long been seen as a relatively tenant-friendly city and this new law, effective ... Read More
TAGGED: washington dc, landlords, tenant bill of rights, tenants
DC: Emergency Legislation on April 14– Pop-ups
[caption id="attachment_248" align="alignright" width="150"] Photo Credit: Stop The Pop DC[/caption] Pop-ups (upper-level expansions of DC row houses) have recently become the topic of discussions, particularly in light of some fairly ugly or disproportionate examples. The DC Council will hear emergency legislation absolutely and immediately banning pop-ups until ... Read More
TAGGED: dc legislation, dc real estate, pop-up houses, pop-ups, pop-ups dc, vincent orange
DC Economic Interest Purchase Money-Recordation Tax
DC Expands Exemptions for Recordation Tax on D/T’s Association with Deeds of Economic Interest While it has long been the practice and law that deeds of trust filed simultaneously with the acquisition of real estate are exempt from recordation tax, the exemption was limited to interests in real estate. Since a Deed ... Read More