Report says five-year D.C. court delays are destabilizing affordable housing

A new Small Multifamily Owners Association report says years-long Landlord and Tenant Court delays are pushing D.C. landlords to defer repairs, consider selling properties and leaving tenants with rising debt. The group is urging the D.C. Council, Congress and the courts to impose deadlines and restore funding.

Why it matters: - The Small Multifamily Owners Association says prolonged court delays are destabilizing the District’s affordable housing system. - The report says unresolved cases leave tenants with growing rent debt and push financially stressed landlords toward selling units. - The group says faster hearings could help tenants access assistance or payment plans before balances become unmanageable.

What happened: - The Small Multifamily Owners Association released a report, "The Cost of Delay," based on responses from 621 D.C. landlords and rental housing providers. - The report says seven in 10 D.C. landlords with completed Landlord and Tenant Court cases waited at least a year to recover possession of their units. - The report says five years of court delays are affecting housing stability in Washington, D.C.

The details: - Thirty-five percent of landlords with pending cases said their longest tenant delinquency had already lasted more than two years. - Fifty-eight percent said they delayed or canceled maintenance and capital improvements. - Sixty-eight percent said they considered selling their properties. - Nearly 90 percent of respondents said few or none of the tenants involved resumed regular rent payments while cases were pending. - The report says rent balances kept growing month after month while cases remained unresolved. - The report says many tenants owe more by the time a case is heard than they can realistically repay. - The report says rental assistance and payment agreements often are no longer workable once cases have dragged on for a year or longer. - The report says Landlord and Tenant filings remain substantially below pre-pandemic levels. - The report says completed evictions have risen above pre-pandemic levels as unresolved balances grow beyond what tenants can repay.

Between the lines: - Dean Hunter, CEO of SMOA and chairman of the D.C. Housing Recovery Coalition, said delay is not neutral. - Hunter said early hearings can give tenants a chance to secure assistance, enter payment agreements or resolve disputes before debts become too large. - The report argues that case volume alone does not explain the backlog. - The report points to staffing, scheduling and court operations as part of the problem. - The findings suggest long delays can undermine both tenant repayment options and landlord maintenance decisions.

What’s next: - SMOA and the D.C. Housing Recovery Coalition are calling on the D.C. Council to pass the Housing Investment Protection Act. - The proposal would require an initial Landlord and Tenant hearing within 60 days after a case is filed. - The groups want Congress to issue a formal letter of inquiry on staffing, scheduling practices, caseload, hearing capacity and performance in the Landlord and Tenant Branch. - The groups want Congress to reject a proposed cut to D.C. Courts funding and provide resources to address staffing shortages and speed case resolution. - The D.C. Housing Recovery Coalition is seeking a meeting with Rep. Dave Joyce, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing D.C. Courts funding. - Hunter said the coalition is prepared to petition Congress for the resources the court needs. - Hunter said funding and accountability must go together.

The bottom line: - The report frames court delay as a housing-policy problem, not just a legal one, and says enforceable deadlines and stable funding are needed to keep D.C. affordable housing from eroding further.