WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- The D.C. Council advanced amendments to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Tuesday, which would allow landlords to more easily evict tenants who are behind on their rent. ERAP is meant to help tenants making less than 40% of the median income secure housing . It comes with certain eligibility requirements, such as proof of residency, income and assets. However, those requirements were suspended during the pandemic, and tenants were allowed to self-certify. Some of the changes to ERAP that advanced Tuesday would limit the time and how much it costs landlords to reschedule evictions, clarify which documents landlords need to comply with ERAP, and make clear that a rent waiver defense must be proven during a trial.Emergency legislation that passed last fall addressed many of the problems that were created due to the COVID-era provisions that led to the rental crisis. DC council passes emergency legislation allowing more closed-door meetings Alex Rossello with the Apartment and Office Building Association says the new amendments reinject some of the same problematic policies into the program. “It would lead to kind of a similar situation that we had before the emergency legislation was passed in the fall, where people would continue racking up rental debt while their own economic situations aren't changing," said Rossello. "So, we believe that's bad for renters and bad for housing providers. And so, that's why we oppose the amendments." The amendment advanced on a 9-3 vote, with Councilmembers Parker (D- Ward 5), McDuffie (I-At-Large) and Felder (D-Ward 7) voting present. It’s unclear when the next vote will take place, but more amendments are possible. ...read more read less