Will I be forced to leave?

Probably not. Under DC law, your landlord may evict you only for a couple of well-defined reasons. This process is not simple and you must be notified in advance. The most relevant reasons and tenant rights in the current context are:

• Sale of the Apartment: Your landlord must give you at least 90 days notice if they sell the apartment to someone who will live in your apartment. However, your landlord cannot use this reason unless the landlord gives you the first chance to buy your apartment.
• Conversion to a Cooperative or Condominium: Landlords must give tenants a 120-day notice that they wish to convert the property to a condominium or cooperative. In order to convert the property, there must be an election or vote, and more than 50 percent of eligible residents need to vote in favor of conversion. Even if the conversion vote is successful, the landlord cannot evict you unless you are first given the chance to buy your apartment.
• Unsafe Renovations: If your landlord wants to make renovations to your apartment or building that cannot be done safely while you are living there, he/she must give you at least 120 days notice and justify the eviction with the city. Once the renovations are complete, you have the right to return to your old apartment, at the same price and under the same obligations in effect when you were evicted.
• Discontinued Housing Use: You can be evicted if your landlord wants to discontinue renting your apartment. Your landlord cannot use this reason unless he/she first gives you the chance to buy your apartment, and you will have 180 days notice after the expiration of the tenant purchase rights. The landlord cannot use the apartment for any purpose for one year following the date you move out.

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