Representatives of 12 tenant associations and organizations today sent a letter to Colleen Green, Director of the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, requesting that the agency redesign a misleading form for announcing rent increases to renters. The letter was sign by 86 tenant leaders and tenant association members in Washington, D.C.
Specifically, the letter states:
“The form, RAD Form 8, is sent by rental housing management companies to tenants, announcing annual rent increases. However, the DHCD letterhead and logo make it appear that DHCD is the sender. This gives recipients the impression that the amounts recorded in the fields are issued by the DC government, erroneously implying that they are obligatory.”
DC renters are often confused by the form, which appears to come from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, but instead is sent by rental property owners or managers. The form misleading states that a certain increase “will” be imposed beginning on a certain date, making it appear the DC laws make such increases automatic.
In fact, DC law sets a limit on the percentage that a landlord can raise the rent annual in a rent-stabilized building, but renters may negotiate a lower increase — or no increase at all. Moreover, according to the law, landlords cannot raise the rent if conditions in the unit or the building substantially violate the DC housing code.
If renters have been systematically misled into believing that rent increases are automatic when they are not, it could substantially contribute to the rising cost of housing in the District of Columbia.
The signatories close the letter requesting that DHCD hire an expert outside consultant to redesign the form, and that they be included in the redesign process.
Signatories of the letter include leaders and members of these organizations:
Van Ness South Tenants Association
Brandywine Tenant Association
Sedgwick Gardens Tenant Association
Connecticut House Tenants Association
Kenmore Residents Association
Kennedy Warren Residents Association
4000 Mass Ave Tenants Association
Parkwest Tenant Association
3220 Parkway Tenants Association
1600 16th Street NW Tenants Association
Rittenhouse Tenants Association
DC Tenants’ Advocacy Coalition (TENAC)