Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today, alongside Councilmember Robert White, announced the introduction of the STRONG Homes Amendment Act of 2025, which would strengthen the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ability to more quickly hold negligent landlords accountable and protect District tenants who are being forced to live in dangerous housing conditions. The bill revises the Tenant Receivership Act, which currently allows OAG to request a Court-appointed “receiver” to intervene at rental properties with chronic health and safety issues, to allow the Court to move faster in the most serious cases where tenants’ safety is at immediate risk.
“My office receives dozens of complaints every year about Washingtonians being forced to live in unsafe, unhealthy, illegal conditions. To more effectively hold slumlords accountable and ensure that tenants enjoy the safe, habitable homes they are entitled to, we must address systemic gaps that can interfere with swift remediation of the worst conditions and patterns of neglect,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “I’m proud to partner with Councilmember White to improve upon the current system that too often leaves District residents suffering for far too long.”