Three DC move-out debt deadlines in a law projected for September 4

Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the housing provider must give written notice of alleged unpaid amounts, which may include unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, or the cost of removing items left at move-out.

The notice must include photos or other supporting documentation, the right to dispute, and the provider's contact information. It can be handed to you, emailed, or sent by certified mail to your forwarding address. The clock starts when the tenancy ends, not when keys are returned.

You have 30 calendar days after the notice is served, not the date printed on it, to dispute and provide evidence that the amount is inaccurate or incorrectly attributed.

If you send information, the landlord must respond in writing within 10 days after receiving it. Respond does not mean agree.

Before sending the noticed amount to a debt collector, the provider must have documentation showing the notice was served at least 60 days earlier. The 60 days run from service of the notice, not from move-out. The waiting period does not erase an amount actually owed.

The Act uses the D.C. Rental Housing Act's definitions and covers residential rental units such as apartments, rooms, single-family houses, suites, and duplexes. Hotels, inns with a valid certificate of occupancy, and qualifying transient occupancy are excluded, so it does not cover every DC renter.

These deadlines are separate from DC's existing security-deposit return procedure. Both may involve a 45-day period, but they regulate different notices and obligations. Missing a deadline does not automatically erase money actually owed.