Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-09-11
THE RENT STRIKE
IN WASHINGTON
By Frederic I. Hdskin
M The feverish hunt for homes
w at payable figure, just now

vrTASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. g.
M The feverish hunt for homes
w at a payable figure, just now
going on in almost every
large American city, has attained a
special intensity in Washington. With
sweet accord the landlords have sud-
denly raised the rents on Washington
apartments from 20 to 100 per cent,
with an average in the neighborhood
of so or 60 per cent.
The immediate result is an i'm
mense emotional upheaval, varying
all the way from mild irritation to
tragic despair. There are some per-
sons whose rent has been raised from
500 a month to $500, and to whom
this means nothing more than post
poning the purchase of a new car.
And there are others whose rents
have been raised from $12 month
to $40, and to whom this means tax
ing food away from the baby.
Every afternoon when the newspa-
pers come off the press there are
apartment hunters ready to grab
them and eagerly to search the for
rent columns. Some of these are
prosperous-looking chaps who get
into cars and dash off to have the
first look~at the more desirable offer
| ings. But there is also the woman
with one baby on her arm, and a
child Of five by the hand, who wea-
| rily boards a trolley on the same
apartment is relatively good bar
gain.
A Dramatic Situation
The situation here is especially
dramatic because the Ball rent act
is still pending in the supreme court
with the betting about even as to
whether it will be sustained or not.
Some rent laws have been declared
unconstitutional, but on the other
hand law almost exactly like the
Ban act was recently sustained. The
Ball act. in brief. establishes a rent
termine what is a reasonable rent
for a given property. Unless an ap-
peal is noted. this becomes the rent.
If an appeal is taken in ten days by
ter goes into court, but the court
can only decide points Of law Thus
1t may hold that not all evidence has
been adduced, and may compel more
evidence to be taken. The rent COM
mission makes another finding, which
is final.
This act has been declared uncon-
stitutional by the lower courts here.
and is pending in the supreme court
with the prospects that it will be
decided there by the first of Deem
Der.
In this situation, the tenant who
believes that he is being mulcted has
b.,
and thousands of them are making it.
They have formed an organization
known as the Tenants Protective
League of Washington for this pur-
pose; The league, which has a men,
bershlp fee of 81, gives free legal adj
vice, and legal services for half the
usual attorneys fees. 1t has an ar
rangement with a bonding company
by which any of its members can be
bonded, who wish to refuse to got
out of their apartments.
By making use of the services of
This league, tenant in Washington
may stay in his apartment at the old
rent, and defy his landlord, usually
with considerable success. When he
receives the notice to get out within
~ DAYS; he simply pays no attention
to it. The landlord then goes into
court to get a writ Of eviction. One
or the league attorneys appears and
notes an appeal. This means that
the case cannot be decided until ine
constitutionality of the act has been
pessed upon by the supreme court.
Legal Delay Helps Tenant
If the supreme court holds the
act unconstitutional, then the writ
or eviction can be issued, and the
tenant can be put out. Bnt thot is
about all that can happen to him,
according to the attorneys for the
league, and it is not apt to happen
| for long time. Here the we'll
| known delays of the law, which US
ually benefit the stronger party, are
on the side Of the tenant Cases of
this kind are piling up so fast that
many Of those being filed now will
not be reached for couple of years
| during all Of which time the tenant
will be enjoying the use of the apart
ment at the old rent. Furthermore
| for the additional rent, which the
| tenant refused to pay will be effec-
tive unless the landlord has refused
| to accept the old rent, which is paid
by the tenant to the bonding COM
pany. hTe total cost of thus noting
an appeal and resisting eviction
provided the machinery of the league
| is used, is about $50. In the event
the supreme court. and the tenant
wins in the action for a writ of evic-
ton. he will get back all but $27 Of
| this money.
OF course the landlord may. COM
bat in various ways the desire of
| He may cut off the heat, the light
the gas or the telephone service, and
| perhaps If he is ingenious he may
find other, ways of annoying the
recalcitrant. Various cases Of this
have occurred. Usually. however
this sort of guerilla warfare is car
ried on by landlords (and more often
| by land1adies) who own a single
| building each ana i've IN II. mus
| a case is reported of one woman
with a baby thirteen months old who
refused either to get out or to pay
the advanced rent. She could not
find another place to go and she
could not find the money to pay
more rent The landlady. promptly
cut off the gas, so that the woman
could not cook anything.
A vindictive Land1ady
Another landlady took all the fur
niture out of furnished apartment,
from which the occupant refused to
move, except a single chair. This
she herself occupied. and announce
| her intention of staying there until
| the tenant had vacated.
If such a spirit were more general
rent profiteering would soon be a
| broken industry. Here, as usual, the
intimate consumer loses out because
he is afraid or unwilling to fight;
and because he will not organize ana
cooperate with his fellows.