tenant rights

“Short term rentals / current and proposed legislation concerns”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I’m reaching out regarding Mayor Bowser’s proposed changes to short term rentals. Please indulge me with some context first that powers my alarm. And I’d like to be anonymous please.

I saw your recent posts on rats. In Brightwood they are bad, and on our block getting worse due to a short term rental that isn’t owner occupied and appears to be owned by a VA resident. There are numerous large parties generating lots of garbage. And in recent months no one is putting the trash in the alley. The piled up garbage on the property is feeding a surge in rats on our block.

For many, many months my neighbors and I have been going from DC department to department and to Airbnb directly to try to address the non-owner-occupied full time Airbnb (violation of current law) on our street and as noted the numerous parties that often exceed quiet hours and generate uncontrolled garbage.

In researching links to share with Airbnb, (more…)

DC Attorney General “sued the owners of two apartment complexes in Ward 1 for allowing their buildings to fall into extreme disrepair”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), led by Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb:

“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb sued the owners of two apartment complexes in Ward 1 for allowing their buildings to fall into extreme disrepair and for failing to pay back the District for the cost of re-housing dozens of tenants after a gas explosion severely damaged one of the buildings and forced them from their homes.

The lawsuit alleges that John and Herminia Steininger allowed their properties located at 1433 Columbia Road NW and 1841 Lamont Street NW to fall into extreme disrepair, putting the health and safety of their tenants at risk. Since 2018, they have received citations for over 120 housing code violations as well as fines of over $140,000, yet they made no changes to fix the properties. (more…)

“Council Gives Initial Approval for Councilmember Allen’s Bill Banning Large Buildings from Charging Predatory ‘Common Area Utility’ Fees”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the office of DC Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 6:

“The DC Council voted unanimously to initially approve Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen’s Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2026, which bans property owners and managers of multifamily buildings from separately charging tenants additional monthly fees for the utility costs associated with the building’s common areas and vacant units. In recent years, these fees have varied greatly from month to month and been more frequently used to tack on hundreds of dollars in additional costs beyond the rent amount in a lease agreement. (more…)

OAG Files Lawsuit against “a large apartment building in Ward 2, for charging junk fees and hiding the true cost of rent from prospective tenants.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Office of the Attorney General (OAG):

“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today filed a lawsuit against Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., and its subsidiaries Mid-America Apartments, L.P., and Post 1499 Massachusetts, LLC (collectively, “MAA”), the owners and managers of a large apartment building in Ward 2, for charging junk fees and hiding the true cost of rent from prospective tenants.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleges that MAA overcharged tenants and violated DC law by assessing a variety of illegal fees, including mandatory monthly fees for basic services that, as a matter of law, are already included in rent, like common area maintenance. In its lawsuit, OAG also details how MAA misled tenants searching for housing by advertising deceptively low “starting at” prices that did not include mandatory fees and were therefore not actually available to anyone.

“The rent you see advertised should be the rent you pay,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “MAA has been nickel-and-diming DC tenants with illegal hidden fees and concealing the true price of leasing their apartments. DC housing is already too expensive, and my office is putting an end to practices that prey on tenants and those looking for clear, reliable information when searching for a place to live.”

MAA is a Tennessee-based real estate investment trust that owns and operates more than 300 rental apartment complexes across 16 states and the District of Columbia. In the District, MAA owns and manages a 269-unit apartment building located at 1499 Massachusetts Avenue NW. (more…)

“Latest Drama on 15th Street – signs have been getting crazier”

By Prince Of Petworth


1600 block of 15th Street, NW

“SELFISH LANDLORD WONT GIFT ME $33K TO MOVE OUT

NEXT DOOR LOSER’S ILLEGAL HOSTEL U SAW ON TV IS NOW MARKD DANGEROUS BY GOVERMENT”

Thanks to A. and M. for sending: “I saw you have post about this from July [also an update in September], also wondering what’s going on in the houses on 15th/Q NW. caution tape is now up and signs have been getting crazier, is it a hostel/ is everything ok?” (more…)

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