On December 5, 2025, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted by City Journal:
D.C. quickly learned that TOPA would not enable tenants and their representatives to buy buildings en masse. “You’re not going to sell unless you get the best and highest offer,” Yesim Sayin, executive director of the nonpartisan D.C. Policy Center, explained.
Still, the law has stalled transactions. In a March 2025 report, the D.C. Policy Center reported that TOPA delayed tenant-association-involved building sales by an average of five months. Asked whether this has affected investment and sales in the District, Sayin said per-unit “sales volume has been much greater in similar jurisdictions” not subject to the law, such as neighboring Arlington County. As a result, Sayin said, many buildings in D.C. are stuck with owners who want to leave the market and are less equipped than other buyers “to make use” of the properties.
Read More: New York City Wants to Give Nonprofits First Dibs on Housing
Additional reading: TOPA’s Promise and Pitfalls: Balancing tenant rights, affordability, and housing investment in Washington, D.C.