Tenant Purchase Training
& Technical Assistance

We foster limited equity cooperatives to preserve long-term, deeply affordable, member-controlled housing and prevent displacement.

To learn more about TOPA, watch the “Know Your Rights” video above

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.

How we support the development
of limited equity co-ops

Training

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.

Technical Assistance

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.

Asset Management

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.

Co-op Academy

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.

Note

If you are a tenant in DC and your apartment building is currently up for sale, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) requires your landlord to inform all tenants in your building through an official offer of sale. TOPA also gives you the power to decide what happens to your building but in order to exercise your TOPA rights you must form a tenant association.

If your apartment building is currently up for sale, we highly recommended you seek legal advice from a tenant attorney and technical assistance from a housing counseling agency like Housing Counseling Services or the Latino Economic Development Center.