Housing Law

Keeping families in safe, affordable housing is at the core of our housing law practice. Legal Aid DC serves tenants facing legal challenges that, without support from an attorney, could leave them without stable housing. 

Legal Aid DC represents clients on housing matters including: 

• Eviction: We represent clients in the Landlord and Tenant Branch of the D.C. Superior Court to prevent eviction and help find solutions to maintaining their housing
• Housing subsidies: We serve clients who are at risk of losing a DC Housing Authority (DCHA) voucher 
• Housing conditions: We assist clients living in unhealthy and unsafe housing conditions by representing them in affirmative lawsuits to obtain emergency repairs
• Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA): We work with tenant associations to exercise their rights under TOPA when a building is being sold and address rent control matters
• Rent increases: We assist clients in challenging unlawful rent increases

Where We Work

In addition to our regular intake locations, Legal Aid DC housing attorneys are on-site at D.C. Superior Court on Mondays and Wednesdays to provide same-day assistance and limited representation. 

Legal Aid DC also staffs the Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network Hotline alongside several other organizations.

Systemic Advocacy

For many years, Legal Aid DC has worked with other nonprofits and legal service providers to advocate for policies that benefit low-income tenants across the District. For example, in 2010, we advocated for the creation of the Housing Conditions Calendar, which helps tenants living in poor housing conditions bring repair claims to court more quickly.

More recently, in 2023 Legal Aid DC led the relaunch of the Housing Right to Counsel Project, a coalition of legal service providers and over 20 law firms and government pro bono partners that provides free legal representation to low-income residents with housing subsidies who are facing eviction.