14 DCMR § 14-3915
ADVISORY OPINIONS
Operative Text
3915.1 The Rent Administrator may issue, at the request of any person, an advisory opinion on issues of first impression relating to specific proposed actions under the Act or Chapters 39-44 of this title. 3915.2 Advisory opinions shall not be issued to a party to any pending case arising under the Act with respect to any contested issue in the party’s case. 3915.3 Each inquiry shall meet the following requirements: (a) Be submitted in writing; (b) Specifically request an advisory opinion; (c) Contain a signed statement of proposed action, of all relevant facts and of the author's interpretation of the law or regulations; and (d) Be accompanied by any relevant documents. 3915.4 The Rent Administrator shall maintain a file of all advisory opinions that is available for public inspection. 3915.5 An advisory opinion issued by the Rent Administrator shall not be binding on or provide safe harbor to the requesting person or be binding on any District agency.
Under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3915, the Rent Administrator has the authority to issue advisory opinions on novel legal questions related to proposed—not yet taken—actions under the District's rent control laws. Any person may request such an opinion by submitting a written inquiry that includes a signed statement of the proposed action, all relevant facts, a legal interpretation, and supporting documents. However, these opinions are not binding on the requester, any District agency, or any pending case, and they do not create a legal safe harbor for the person who requested them.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers considering actions under the District's rent stabilization rules may find it useful to understand the advisory opinion process established by D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3915. A compliant inquiry is submitted in writing, explicitly requests an advisory opinion, includes a signed statement of the proposed action along with all relevant facts and a legal interpretation, and attaches any pertinent documents. Operators generally treat any opinion received as informational guidance rather than a guarantee of compliance, since § 14-3915 expressly states that such opinions are non-binding and provide no safe harbor.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3915 establishes a public process through which anyone—including tenants—may ask the Rent Administrator for an advisory opinion on novel questions about proposed actions under the District's rent control framework. Tenants should be aware that if they are already a party to a pending case, § 14-3915 prohibits the issuance of an advisory opinion on any contested issue in that case. All advisory opinions are kept in a publicly available file maintained by the Rent Administrator, which tenants and tenant-rights organizations may review for guidance on how the office has interpreted similar issues in the past.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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