Search Results for: Barbara Cline

by Marlene Berlin Some apartment management companies moved slowly to require masks and social distancing from residents and staff, or to post signs and other notices of such requirements, say tenant leaders and residents of buildings on upper Connecticut Avenue. William Hawkins, a founder of the DC Area Tenant Associations Consortium, or DCATAC, lives in […]

by Barbara Cline One of my favorite stories is David and Goliath – the tale of the epic battle between David, a shepherd boy who confronts Goliath, a terrifying giant. Against all odds the unthinkable happens – David defeats Goliath. The “giants” or powerful opponents in our world do have advantages. But these giants also […]

The law governing rent increases for residents of the District’s older apartment buildings is up for renewal in 2020. And rent control dominates the September 28th Tenant & Tenant Association Summit. The sessions this year: Rent Control in the District – A 100 Year Look Back We will take a look at the first rent […]

by Barbara Cline March is one of my favorite months. It’s the end of winter, the beginning of spring… and when I know how much my rent increase will be for my rent-controlled apartment. And the 2019 rent increase for rent-controlled buildings is… Our annual rent control increase is based on the lower of: the […]

by Barbara Cline It’s a common dispute between housing providers and renters: the refund of the renter’s security deposit. The security deposit is an additional one month of rent paid when the renter first moves into the rental unit. Generally, renters expect to collect the deposit plus interest when they move out, provided the provider […]

by Barbara Cline From May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019, the annual rent increase for rent-controlled apartments in DC is 3.4%. For the elderly or disabled renters in these units, it can be less. Quite a bit less, in fact. A new DC law went into effect on April 7, 2017 that changed the […]

by Barbara Cline Each September for the last nine years I have trekked down to the Kellogg Conference Hotel/Gallaudet University in Ward 5 to attend the DC Office of the Tenant Advocate’s annual Tenant and Tenant Association Summit. The Summit is OTA’s largest outreach event – a key part of its mission to educate the […]

by Barbara Cline A couple moved into their affordable Northwest DC rent-controlled apartment last year to save for their wedding. They understood that DC rent-controlled apartments are restricted to one annual automatic rent increase for inflation. This annual rent increase is also regulated – because it is tied to a formula based on the annual […]