District of Columbia Animal Addendum
Summary of Revisions
The District of Columbia Animal Addendum has been revised to reflect the Pets in Housing Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-308), which established new rules governing pet deposits, pet rent, and pet-related restrictions in residential leases. The following is a summary of the material changes.
Permitted Animals — Fish Tank Size Limit (Section 1.a). The definition of “common household pet” now includes a parenthetical clarifying that fish must be kept in a tank of 10 gallons or less. This aligns the addendum with the corresponding revision to the main lease, which was updated to permit aquariums for common household pets while maintaining reasonable size and placement restrictions.
Permitted Animals — Table Entry Clarification (Section 1.b). A new sentence has been added clarifying that the number of animal entry lines in the addendum is for convenience only and does not, by itself, authorize any animal or any number of animals. This prevents any argument that the presence of multiple blank entry rows constitutes blanket pre-approval. A fourth animal entry row has also been added to the table to accommodate tenants with multiple pets.
Breed, Size, and Weight Restrictions (Section 2). A new paragraph has been added providing that, for residential leases beginning after October 1, 2026, the landlord will not impose restrictions on tenancy or charge differential fees or rent based on a common household pet’s breed, size, or weight. This reflects D.C. Code § 42-3505.10(b-4)(2), which prohibits breed-, size-, and weight-based restrictions and fees for leases beginning after that date. Community-wide pet policies set by the landlord remain enforceable for earlier leases and for restrictions that are not based on breed, size, or weight (e.g., limits on the total number of pets or behavioral requirements).
Pet Deposit (Section 3.b). The pet deposit provision has been revised to add a proviso regarding the total security deposit cap under the lease. The pet deposit remains capped at 15% of one month’s rent and may only be withheld for damages directly caused by a common household pet beyond ordinary wear and tear. No pet deposit may be charged for service or support animals.
General Formatting. Minor formatting and spacing adjustments have been made throughout for consistency with the revised main lease.