District of Columbia Lease Agreement
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District of Columbia security deposit rules
At a glance
- Security deposit limit
- 1 month's rent
- Deposit return deadline
- 45 days
Source read · 14 DCMR §§ 308-311; D.C. Code § 42-3502.17
General-purpose template. Built for District of Columbia from our state data; it adds District of Columbia clauses where your answers call for them, and they have not yet been reviewed by us.
District of Columbia landlord-tenant rules, with sources
Each rule comes from a record LeaseCraft read at the official source and is followed by its citation; it is general information, not legal advice.
Security deposits in Washington DC
Deposit limit, return and deductions
- Max one month's rent, charged only once. The deposit is held in an interest-bearing escrow account, and interest is owed when a tenancy of 12 months or more ends. Within 45 days after move-out the landlord must refund the deposit with interest or give written notice of intent to withhold; the itemized statement of repair costs and any balance are then due within 30 more days. Since August 14, 2026 (D.C. Law 26-156) a notice of any unpaid amounts, with photos or other documentation, is also due within 45 days (14 DCMR §§ 308-311; D.C. Code § 42-3502.17).
Source read · 14 DCMR §§ 308-311; D.C. Code § 42-3502.17
Interest on the deposit:Yes
Source read · 14 DCMR §§ 308-311; D.C. Code § 42-3502.17
Ending a tenancy in Washington DC
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy
- Where Washington DC's just-cause rule covers the tenancy, a landlord's notice alone does not end it; the landlord also needs one of the causes that rule lists (see below).
- No no-cause termination exists: no tenant may be evicted notwithstanding expiration of the lease so long as the tenant continues to pay rent (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)).
- Shortest no-fault notice is 90 days — owner's personal use and occupancy (d) or sale to a purchaser for personal use (e); alterations/renovation (f) and substantial rehabilitation (h) require 120 days; demolition (g) and discontinuance of housing use (i) require 180 days.
- Non-nonpayment notices are served on the tenant and the Rent Administrator (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)).
Quoted from the source:
“no tenant shall be evicted ... notwithstanding the expiration of the tenant's lease ... so long as the tenant continues to pay the rent”
Source read · D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1), (d)-(i)
A tenant who stays after the tenancy ends
- Lease expiration is not a ground: a tenant who keeps paying rent may not be evicted notwithstanding expiration of the lease (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)); the tenancy continues on the same terms.
Quoted from the source:
“notwithstanding the expiration of the tenant's lease or rental agreement, so long as the tenant continues to pay the rent”
Source read · D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1)
Just-cause requirement:Required for covered tenancies
- Covered housing: rental units under the Rental Housing Act; eviction only for the grounds in § 42-3505.01 (nonpayment (a-1), uncorrected violation of tenancy obligation (b), court-determined illegal act (c), owner personal use (d), sale for personal use (e), alterations (f), demolition (g), substantial rehabilitation (h), discontinuance of housing use (i)).
- Every eviction requires a written notice meeting the section's requirements ('No tenant shall be evicted from a rental unit for any reason unless the tenant has been served with a written notice which meets the requirements of this section' — § 42-3505.01(a)(1)).
Quoted from the source:
“No tenant shall be evicted from a rental unit for any reason unless the tenant has been served with a written notice”
Source read · D.C. Code § 42-3505.01
Rent, late fees and unpaid rent in Washington DC
Notice before filing for unpaid rent:10 days
- Housing provider must give the tenant written notice of intent to file a claim for possession for nonpayment at least 10 days before filing (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(1)).
- No notice (and no filing) if the unpaid rent is less than $600 (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(1)).
- Notice must state the total rent owed with an attached ledger, that the tenant has the right to remain if the full balance is paid, and give the Office of the Tenant Advocate (202-719-6560) and Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network (202-780-2575) contacts (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(2)).
- Served BOTH by certified mail/tracked delivery with return receipt AND by hand delivery to the unit or posting on the front door (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(3)).
- If the landlord knows the tenant's primary language is not English or Spanish and is covered by § 2-1933, the notice must be provided in that language (§ 42-3505.01(a)(3)).
Quoted from the source:
“intent to file a claim ... to recover possession of a rental unit for the non-payment of rent at least 10 days before filing”
Lease violations in Washington DC
Notice to fix a lease violation:30 days
- Tenant violating an obligation of tenancy other than nonpayment must fail to correct the violation within 30 days after receiving notice before the housing provider may recover possession (§ 42-3505.01(b)).
- Notices for all reasons other than nonpayment must be served on both the tenant and the Rent Administrator (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)).
Quoted from the source:
“fails to correct the violation within 30 days after receiving notice from the housing provider”
Source read · D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1), (b)
Notice that gives no chance to fix:30 days
- Illegal act within the rental unit or housing accommodation: after the required court determination the housing provider serves a 30-day notice to vacate (§ 42-3505.01(c)(1)).
- Cases filed after 2025-12-31 where the alleged illegal act would constitute a dangerous crime or crime of violence: 10-day notice to vacate, after considering in good faith reasonable means to preserve the housing of non-offending occupants (§ 42-3505.01(c)(2)(A)).
Quoted from the source:
“the housing provider shall serve on the tenant a 30-day notice to vacate”
Source read · D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(c) (as amended by D.C. Law 26-80, eff. 2025-12-31)
What's included
The District of Columbia lease LeaseCraft writes has these 19 articles, in this order, followed by the signature block.
- Parties
- Definitions
- Demise of premises
- Term
- Rent
- Late charges and returned payments (when your answers call for it)
- Security deposit
- Maintenance and repairs
- Utilities and services
- Furnishings (when your answers call for it)
- Occupancy and use
- Pets and animals
- Right of entry
- Insurance
- Default and remedies
- Surrender and move-out
- State law and required disclosures
- General provisions
- Governing law and jurisdiction
For a District of Columbia property the questionnaire asks 22 required questions in 8 steps, and some answers add a follow-up question. Optional questions let you add more.
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Frequently asked questions
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In Washington DC the security deposit limit is 1 month's rent. The return deadline is 45 days. Max one month's rent, charged only once. The deposit is held in an interest-bearing escrow account, and interest is owed when a tenancy of 12 months or more ends. Within 45 days after move-out the landlord must refund the deposit with interest or give written notice of intent to withhold; the itemized statement of repair costs and any balance are then due within 30 more days. Since August 14, 2026 (D.C. Law 26-156) a notice of any unpaid amounts, with photos or other documentation, is also due within 45 days (14 DCMR §§ 308-311; D.C. Code § 42-3502.17).
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Where Washington DC's just-cause rule covers the tenancy, a landlord's notice alone does not end it; the landlord also needs one of the causes that rule lists (see below). No no-cause termination exists: no tenant may be evicted notwithstanding expiration of the lease so long as the tenant continues to pay rent (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)). Source: D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1), (d)-(i).
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10 days. Housing provider must give the tenant written notice of intent to file a claim for possession for nonpayment at least 10 days before filing (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(1)). No notice (and no filing) if the unpaid rent is less than $600 (§ 42-3505.01(a-1)(1)). Source: D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a-1) (as amended by D.C. Law 26-80, § 101, eff. 2025-12-31; threshold/contents from D.C. Law 24-115 (2022)).
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Required for covered tenancies. Covered housing: rental units under the Rental Housing Act; eviction only for the grounds in § 42-3505.01 (nonpayment (a-1), uncorrected violation of tenancy obligation (b), court-determined illegal act (c), owner personal use (d), sale for personal use (e), alterations (f), demolition (g), substantial rehabilitation (h), discontinuance of housing use (i)). Every eviction requires a written notice meeting the section's requirements ('No tenant shall be evicted from a rental unit for any reason unless the tenant has been served with a written notice which meets the requirements of this section' — § 42-3505.01(a)(1)). Source: D.C. Code § 42-3505.01.
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30 days. Tenant violating an obligation of tenancy other than nonpayment must fail to correct the violation within 30 days after receiving notice before the housing provider may recover possession (§ 42-3505.01(b)). Notices for all reasons other than nonpayment must be served on both the tenant and the Rent Administrator (§ 42-3505.01(a)(1)). Source: D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1), (b).
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