We start our August Alert with some potentially very good news. The RENTAL Act, a bill to reform TOPA, passed its first vote by the DC Council on July 28, 2025. The RENTAL Act includes, among other things, a blanket exemption...more
8/7/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Housing Market ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
State and Local Government ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
Across the United States, empty office buildings have become a common sight. According to Moody’s Analytics, office vacancies are at their highest since the 1990s. The COVID hangover has left us with an abundance of vacant or...more
8/1/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Community Development ,
Construction Project ,
Economic Development ,
Federal Budget ,
Housing Market ,
Office Space ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
Rental Rates ,
Senior Housing ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Trump Administration ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties ,
Zoning Laws
When District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act, there were high hopes that much needed reform to the Tenant Opportunity to...more
7/14/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Property Owners ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Tenants ,
Zoning Laws
Happy Independence Week to our readers. 249 years after our great country declared its independence, will some multifamily owners and investors soon be free from TOPA? ...more
As spring begins to give way to summer, legislative activity shows no signs of cooling off. Our May TOPA Alert generated many questions and comments and a further update on the pending TOPA reform legislation is included...more
6/13/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Apartments ,
BEPS ,
Condominiums ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
Municipalities ,
Property Owners ,
Property Tax ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Assistance Programs ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Tenants ,
Zoning Laws
As reported in our April 2025 Alert on March 3, 2025, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act (B26-0164), which includes proposed...more
This month’s Alert updates recent housing legislation, including proposed amendments to the DC Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), the launch of the DC RentRegistry portal, and updates to Montgomery County's rent...more
4/8/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
FHFA ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Maryland ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
Property Owners ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rent Control ,
Tenants
With very active legislative sessions in the DMV region, we're providing these updates on proposed legislation and several ongoing efforts impacting the multifamily industry. ...more
3/18/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
BEPS ,
Eviction ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rent Control ,
State and Local Government ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Tenants ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Laws
Finally, some potential good news for multifamily property owners and developers in DC. It appears that the discussions on reforming the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), as well as the Emergency Rental Assistance...more
With the New Year under way, we wanted to provide updates on legislative activity and other developments affecting multifamily properties in the region and across the country, including Maryland Building Energy Performance...more
1/20/2025
/ BEPS ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Price Gouging ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rent Control ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Incentives
With another interest rate cut, the capital markets appear to be more promising for real estate transactions; time will tell how this month’s elections will impact the real estate industry. ...more
11/21/2024
/ Co-Op ,
Condominiums ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
NY Supreme Court ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Residential Leases ,
Tenants ,
Vacant Properties
With Election Day fast approaching, market indicators appear more promising, notwithstanding regulatory hurdles. As a follow-up to our most recent Alert, below are some updates on recent multifamily legislative and legal...more
On the multifamily front, transactions are picking up. The benefits of the interest rate cut by the Fed are offset somewhat by the increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment impacting multifamily properties,...more
10/1/2024
/ BEPS ,
Condominiums ,
Eviction ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Late Fees ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Tenants
As summer 2024 winds down, the implementation of new rent control laws has attracted much attention. Providing some respite from the summer’s rent control heat is a recent win for the multifamily industry coming from the...more
8/26/2024
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Housing ,
Property Owners ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Residential Leases ,
SCOTUS ,
Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) ,
Tenants
Our prior Alert discussed the Prince George’s County temporary extension of rent control, Montgomery County rent control updates and the much-anticipated rent control regulations, rental license fee increases, new housing...more
There have been a number of new regulatory developments since our prior Alert, including updates on Prince George’s County rent control, Montgomery County tenant protections, Montgomery County Right of First Refusal (ROFR)...more
4/8/2024
/ Construction Industry ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
LIHTC ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Right of First Refusal ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Abatement ,
Tenants
Happy Holidays to all. We are still hopeful that Santa brings everyone some relief from rent control and other multifamily restrictions (we heard that the new BEPS Regulations preclude Santa from leaving coal for legislators...more
1/3/2024
/ Comment Period ,
Condominiums ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rent Stabilization Codes ,
Rental Property ,
Right of First Refusal ,
Tenants
Our most recent Alert included details and updates on rent control, proposed FTC regulation of rental housing junk fees, security camera mandates, and new ROFR proposals. Here is a link to the November 15 Alert. Below are...more
12/11/2023
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Landlords ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Price-Fixing ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rent Stabilization Codes ,
Rental Property ,
Right of First Refusal ,
Tenants
As a follow-up to our recent alert, here are some updates on regional and national legislative activity impacting real estate...more
11/13/2023
/ BEPS ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Housing Market ,
Landlords ,
LIHTC ,
Low Income Housing ,
Multi-Family Development ,
Rent ,
Rent Control ,
Rental Property ,
Residential Leases ,
Right of First Refusal ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Tenants
As a follow-up to our prior alert, here are some updates on legislative activities in the region...more
As a follow-up to our recent alert, here are some updates on rent control and other activities in the region impacting multifamily properties...more
As a follow-up to our recent alerts, the Prince George’s County Council in Maryland held a public hearing Tuesday, April 25, and approved CB-51-2023, An Emergency Act Concerning Landlord Retaliation for Rent Stabilization...more
As a follow-up to our recent alert, here is an update on rent control and other legislative activities in the region...more
As a follow-up to our recent alerts, we wanted to provide an update on rent control in Mount Rainier, Maryland....more
As a follow-up to our recent alerts, here is an update on rent control and other local activities in the Washington, DC region...more