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
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 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
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
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
The Howard County, Maryland, Council passed Bill 13-2020—the Affordable Housing Retention Act—last week. This legislation provides the County and the Howard County Housing Commission with the right to purchase rental housing...more