Frequently Asked Questions Washington, DC Rental License

The answer here is yes, and it applies whether you are an individual or a business entity. The DC Municipal Regulations Title 14, Section 200.3, states, “No person shall operate a housing business in any premises in the District of Columbia without first receiving a basic business license for the premise by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.”

The answer here is YES. Because each rental property has its own unique property tax identification number, each one is required to have a separate license. For example, if you own 3 condominium units, each with its own tax identification number, you are required to obtain 3 one-family rental licenses. (Don’t confuse this example with a townhouse that has a basement apartment; that property as a whole will have just one tax identification number, and because it is 2 units will require a two-family rental license.)

A housing business is any dwelling unit or rooming unit that is offered for rent or lease in a residential building. It also includes the rental of a room in a house that is occupied by the licensee (owner).

If you are found to be renting a property without a valid business license, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs considers you to be non-compliant and can issue you a Notice of Infraction. 

Note: The first offense is considered a Class 1 infraction and carries a $2,000 penalty. If you continue to incur infractions, be aware that each subsequent infraction will be double the amount of the previous one, going up to $16,000 per infraction.

Additionally, when you are not licensed or your license isn’t valid, this can open up a lot of other problem areas where you can be penalized in court. For example, if you are a non-compliant landlord, a judge can find fault with you because you were collecting rent illegally. The judge can then reverse all rent back to the tenant, sometimes at 3x the amount paid. Another possible scenario: Your tenant(s) would not have to pay their rent, and you would not be able to evict them.

RentJiffy’s words of wisdom: Get a license and be compliant. If you have recently purchased a property that has tenants, D.C. will allow you 60 days to become a licensed landlord. 

No, not necessarily, but it truly depends on the inspector. If your rental has living hazards, then immediate action will be taken. In some cases the City believes in voluntary compliance, meaning that they do not penalize you if you are coming into compliance.

The answer to your question depends on what type of rental scenario you have (or will have). If you will be renting the property for 31+ days at a time, you will need to obtain one of the following licenses depending on your property type:

• The andwer to your question depends on what type of rental scenario you have (or will have). If you will be renting the property for 31+ days at a time, you will need to obtain one of the following licenses depending on your property type:ouse that the licensee also occupies).
  Singled-Family Home, Condo, Coop (One Family) Rental Overview
• Two-Family Rental License: Properties consisting of 2 units. Examples of this would be properties with an English basement apartment, a converted basement apartment, or a carriage house in a single-family home where the main residence is occupied by the property owner or another tenant.
  Two-Family (2-Unit) Rental Overview
• Apartment House License: Rental buildings with 3 or more dwelling units
  Apartment Building License Overview
  

If you will be renting the property on a short-term basis (30 days or less consecutively), you will need to obtain one or both of the following:

• Short-Term Rental License: This is for paid lodging for transient guests, with the host present unless it is a vacation rental. 
  Short Term & Vacation Rental Overview
  
• Vacation Rental License: This is for short-term rentals that operate within a host’s residential property. In this case, the transient guest has exclusive use of the host’s property during the transient guest’s stay, and the host is not present on the premises. With a vacation rental, the owner is permitted to rent the property for no more than 90 nights cumulatively in any calendar year. If the owner wants to rent the property for more than 90 nights, he or she must get an exemption.

If you will be renting a combination of short-term and long-term, then you will need multiple licenses to cover each category you qualify for.

Easy answer: It depends on which license category you require. There is only one license category that does not require a Certificate of Occupancy, and that is the One-Family Rental License.

All other license types require a Certificate of Occupancy to be issued to the owner of public record, who must use his/her name on the application in order for it to be valid.

If you don’t already have one, you need to obtain one. But just because you think one does not exist, think again. It’s very possible that one could have been issued in the past. There can be exceptions. For example, the property you now own was converted into multiple units before your ownership, or it was owned by someone who is dead. That is why we tell you to always do a search first to see if a previous Certificate of Occupancy was issued. Need a Certificate of Occupancy search completed? Submit a request to us.

In this case, please review our guide How to Convert Your Property for Rental in Washington, D.C.

The answer is yes, provided the prior Certificate of Occupancy was issued to the same use as it presently is. Example: If a rowhouse with a separate basement apartment was issued a Certificate of Occupancy, and the COO stated correctly that the property use was a two-family flat, then you can initiate a change of ownership. But if the current property is now a 3-unit building, making it an apartment house, you would not have been able to initiate a change of ownership. The reason? The actual load (number of units) does not match the CO load, which makes the previous Certificate of Occupancy invalid.

The basic application for a single-family home, condo, or coop can take up to 30 days to be issued, but the timeframe usually depends on how long it takes to pass the required inspection of the premise and the complexity of your transaction. The timelines for licensing can differ depending on the property’s variables, which might include hold-ups such as:

• The property does not pass inspection. If this occurs, there’s no knowing how long it will take to remedy the failed items noted in the inspection report, and then pass a re-inspection.
• The property is owned by a business that is not registered in the District. 
• The property requires a Certificate of Occupancy. It either does not have one, or it has a COO in a previous owner’s name. 

The answer is no because the DC Government will not accept a report by a private home inspector. You are required to submit to and pass an inspection by a DC Government inspector. Note: the DC Government does not charge to conduct an initial inspection, but it will charge a fee if the property fails and requires a re-inspection.

Ready to get a license in a quickly. Begin your easy hassle-free application by calling 202-913-2351.