D.C. officials are putting the finishing touches on new programs to offer mortgage relief to homeowners and commercial property owners who need some help making payments while the coronavirus emergency drags on.

The D.C. Council passed legislation two weeks ago mandating lenders in the city create mortgage forbearance programs for borrowers, but lawyers working to interpret the new law quickly realized it lacked clarity on a variety of key points.

The council advanced a series of changes designed to address those issues Tuesday, and close some potential gaps in other emergency bills previously passed — including a new ban on commercial rent increases, alongside the existing residential rent freeze. Lawmakers also voted to give Mayor Muriel Bowser some extra time to prepare her budget proposal for fiscal 2021, pushing the deadline from May 6 to May 12.

The legislative tweaks should allow the mortgage relief measures to move full speed ahead, ensuring all lenders in the District will…