City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of a Resolution from the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board regarding Voluntary Rent Increase Guidelines. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Consideration of a Resolution from the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board regarding Voluntary Rent Guidelines.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve a resolution from the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board affirming the City's Voluntary Rent Guidelines at 5%.
BACKGROUND: Virginia localities are prohibited from enacting rent control. However, for over 30 years, the City has encouraged landlords to limit rent increases for existing tenants in accordance with the City's Voluntary Rent Guidelines, which are suggested maximum rent increases for existing tenants. These voluntary guidelines provide no enforcement authority against landlords who fail to comply with them as, under Virginia law, the City has no authority to place mandatory limits on rent increases.
Prior to 2000, very few Alexandria landlords with properties of 10 or more rental units failed to comply with the City's Voluntary Rent Guidelines. However, noncompliance increased significantly around 2000, when the vacancy rate for rental properties in the City dropped below 1%, and again in 2005 when a large number of rental units were converted to condominiums and rents increased throughout the D.C. metropolitan area. Over the years the guidelines have been adjusted to reflect market conditions and to encourage compliance, allowing increases in the case of substantial property tax rate or utility cost increases (when paid by the owners and included in rent), renovations, and in other certain other circumstances.
The table below illustrates these changes.
Rent Guidelines 2000 - 2018
Year
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