14 DCMR § 14-3916
EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS
Operative Text
3916.1 An ex parte communication is any oral or written communication that is: (a) To or by the Rent Administrator or staff of the Rental Accommodations Division; (b) Regarding the merits or factual substance of a particular case; and (c) Not made: (1) In a filing that is also served on all required parties; or (2) With reasonable prior notice and opportunity, under the circumstances, for all parties to be present for, to be a party to, or to be simultaneously made aware of the contents of the communication. 3916.2 Ex parte communications shall be prohibited unless: (a) The communication is specifically authorized by law; (b) The communication concerns administrative or procedural matters, and any reference to the merits is merely incidental; or (c) The communication is made in the course of another proceeding before the Rent Administrator to which the communication primarily relates and that is on the public record. 3916.3 Ex parte communications regarding a particular case shall be prohibited any time after the petition initiating the case has been filed with the Rent Administrator and until the time that all possible appeals of the case are completed. 3916.4 Any ex parte communication made in violation of this section that comes to the attention of the Rent Administrator shall be made part of the record, and the Rent Administrator shall provide an opportunity for rebuttal by other parties by serving each party with a copy of any such communication or a memorandum describing the communication, within five (5) days of the communication. 3916.5 If the Rent Administrator determines that a communication was knowingly made (or caused to be made) by a party acting in violation of this section, the Rent Administrator may, to the extent consistent with the interest of justice and applicable law, require the party to show cause why his or her claim or interest in the proceeding should not be dismissed, denied, or otherwise adversely affected.
Under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3916, once a rent petition is filed with the Rent Administrator, all parties are prohibited from making private, one-sided communications—whether oral or written—about the substance of that case to the Rent Administrator or Rental Accommodations Division staff. This prohibition remains in effect until every possible appeal of the case has been resolved. Limited exceptions exist for communications that are purely administrative or procedural, specifically authorized by law, or made on the public record in a related proceeding. Any prohibited communication that does come to the Rent Administrator's attention must be placed in the case record, and all other parties must be given a chance to respond.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers involved in a rent petition proceeding governed by D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3916 generally ensure that all substantive communications with the Rent Administrator or Rental Accommodations Division staff are made through formal filings served on every required party, or with advance notice so all parties can participate. Compliant operators avoid reaching out privately about the facts or merits of a pending case from the moment a petition is filed through the conclusion of all appeals. When administrative or procedural questions arise, operators typically keep any reference to the merits out of those communications to stay within the narrow exceptions the regulation permits.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Tenants involved in a rent case before the Rent Administrator have a right under D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 14 et seq. § 14-3916 to be protected from private, behind-the-scenes communications between other parties and the Rent Administrator about the substance of their case. If a prohibited ex parte communication does occur and comes to the Rent Administrator's attention, the regulation requires that tenants receive a copy or summary of that communication within five days and be given an opportunity to respond. Tenants who believe this rule has been violated may raise it as an issue in the proceeding itself, and tenant-rights organizations in the District of Columbia can help explain what options are generally available in such situations.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation