Office of the Tenant Advocate

If you are a tenant in a dispute with your landlord, please contact the Office of the Tenant Advocate for advice and links to resources, including legal representation.

Legal Service Providers

See our Community Resources page for a complete list of free and low-cost legal services providers in the District.

Below is a list of free legal services providers who specialize in housing matters. These providers do not give legal advice but they can help with things like filing documents in court, understanding the process on the day of your hearing, and in limited cases, finding an attorney to represent you in court.

  • Neighborhood Legal Services:The Neighborhood Legal Services strives to provide legal assistance to low-income residents of the District of Columbia regarding preventing evictions, homelessness, and related legal matters. Phone (202) 832-5100 Fax (202) 832-1984.
     
  • Bread for the City: Volunteer and Staff attorneys represent clients in landlord-tenant disputes, Social Security disability benefits, and public benefits cases.
     
  • DC Law Students In Court Program, Inc.: Students from local law schools (with supervision from attorneys) provide legal assistance to low-income families in civil and criminal cases. 
     
  • Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless: Provides legal representation to low- and no-income clients through volunteer attorneys.
     
  • DC Bar Pro Bono Program: The DC Bar Pro Bono Program provides legal services, through training and recruiting volunteer attorneys in assisting low-income families. The program also helps small businesses and community-based non-profits seeking legal help.
     
  • University of the District of Columbia School of Law Housing: The Housing and Consumer Law Clinic provides representation in housing-related civil litigation.
     
  • DC Superior Court Landlord Tenant Court: The Resource Center provides free legal information to both unrepresented landlords and unrepresented tenants who have residential housing disputes.
     
  • Legal Aid Society: The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia provides civil legal aid to low-income individuals, families and communities in the District of Columbia.

Tenant and Consumer Advocacy Organizations

The organizations below do not offer legal services or legal representation, but can provide advice and training on how to assert your rights as a tenant or consumer in the District.

  • Latino Economic Development Center: Program assists low- to moderate-income Latinos and other DC area residents on financial advice.
     
  • Housing Counseling Services: Provides comprehensive housing counseling, training, advocacy, technical assistance and housing opportunities for low and moderate-income homebuyers, homeowners, and tenants.
     
  • DC Tenants Advocacy Coalition (TENAC): TENAC is a nonprofit, public service organization dedicated exclusively to tenant interests, tenant rights and support for rent control in the District of Columbia.
     
  • DC Coalition for Housing Justice: Facilitates and encourages cooperation among local and national peace and social justice groups.