Landlord notice deadlines — District of Columbia
In District of Columbia, the checked deadlines on this page cover: pay or quit, ending a tenancy, raising the rent. Each figure carries its statute and the stamp Rules checked October 2026. Run your exact dates through the checker — the period is only half the answer; the counting rule is the other half.
| Pay or quit | 30 calendar days — the tenant may pay and cure (D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a-1)). 30-day written notice of intent to file for nonpayment, on the required form language: exact amount owed with a ledger, the tenant's right to remain if the balance is paid in full, filing rights, and legal-aid contacts. The landlord may not issue this notice unless the tenant owes at least $600 in rent. |
|---|---|
| End a tenancy | any tenancy — no fixed period in the statute (D.C. Code § 42-3505.01). There is no no-cause termination in the District. Every recovery of possession needs a listed statutory ground, and each ground carries its own notice period in § 42-3505.01. The checker routes by ground and does not print a bare date. |
| Raise the rent | 30 days (D.C. Code § 42-3502.08). Most units built before 1976 are rent-controlled: the 2026 allowance is 4.1%, or 2.1% for registered elderly and disability tenants. See the Washington DC file. |
| How days are counted | No District counting rule (weekend/holiday treatment) was verified from a primary source for this dataset. Superior Court Rule 6(c) adds 3 days after service by regular first-class mail for response deadlines. |
| Allowed service methods | personal service if the tenant can be found service on a person of proper age on the premises posting conspicuously on the premises plus first-class mail within 3 calendar days of posting (D.C. Code § 42-3206) notices to quit must be served in English and Spanish |
| Just cause | Cause is required. All District residential tenancies — D.C. Code § 42-3505.01 lists the exclusive grounds for recovery of possession. Never print a no-cause date. Route to the landlord's listed ground (nonpayment, owner move-in, sale, demolition, rehabilitation, and the other § 42-3505.01 grounds); each ground has its own notice period and conditions. |
| Sources checked | https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/42-3505.01 https://www.nolo.com/landlord-tenant/state-laws-termination-nonpayment-rent.html |
Local rules sit on top of state law in many places — city just-cause lists, rent boards, and prescribed local forms. A state deadline is the floor of the analysis, never a promise that no local rule adds to it.
The paper that goes with the date
The checker gives you the date. The kit gives you the notices: pay or quit, non-renewal / termination, and rent increase letters generated from these same checked deadlines, a letter builder that fills in your dates and names, the move-in and move-out inspection checklists, and the proof-of-service checklist.
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