EspañolTenant Purchase Training & Technical Assistance
We foster limited equity cooperatives to preserve long-term, deeply affordable, member-controlled housing and prevent displacement.
Using TOPA to create
limited equity co-ops
DC’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) gives tenants the first right to purchase their building when it goes up for sale. One way tenants can do this is by forming a limited equity cooperative (LEC). We work with tenant groups from their decision to exercise their TOPA rights through the long-term management of their limited equity co-op.
To learn more about TOPA, watch the “Know Your Rights” video above
How we support the development
of limited equity co-ops
We provide ongoing training to limited equity co-op boards and members to equip them with the knowledge they need to secure financing, acquire, renovate, and maintain the health and affordability of their building.
We also work with co-ops to guide them through the complex process of securing funding and hiring contractors like architects and property management companies, as the co-op develops.
We also work with co-ops to create and implement an asset management plan that will allow the co-op to manage their resources in a way that keeps their building financially healthy over many years.
We operate the Co-op Academy, which is an ongoing training and knowledge-sharing network of resident leaders who share experience from different neighborhoods throughout the city; this is the only forum of its kind in DC.
