Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-10
Rent Strike in
Washington
BY Frederic J. Haskin

| fevcrIsh hunt Tor homes at 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 suddenly
raised the rents on Washington apart
ments from 20 To 100 per cent, with an
average in the ncighborhood Of 80 or 60
| per cent.
The immediate result is an immense
emotional upheaval, varying all the way
| from mild irritation To tragic despair.
There are some persons whose rent has
been raised from 300 a month To 900,
and To whom this means nothing more
than postponiDg the purchase of new
car. And there are others whose rents
have been raised from xl2 month 10 $50,
and TO whom this means taking food away
from the baby.
Every afternoon when the newspapers
come off the press there are apartment
hunters ready TO grab them and eagerly 20
search the for rent columns. Some Of
these are prospcrous-looking chaps who
get into cars and dash of TO have the first
look at the more desirable offerings But
there is also the woman with one baby on
her arm, and child Of five by the hand,
who YEARLY boards trolley on the same
quest, and who will be too late if the apart
ment is relatively good bargain.
DRAMATIC SITUATION.
The situation here is especially dramatic
because Of the Ball Rent act il still pend
ing in the Supreme Court with the betting
about even as TO whether il will be sls-
tanned or not. Some rent laws have been
declared unconstitutional, but on the
other hand law almost exactly like the
Ball act WAS recently sustained. The Ball
aof, in brief, establishes rent commission
which has power to determine what IL
reasonable rent for a given property.
Unless an appeal is noted, this becomes
the rent II an appeal is taken in 10 days
by any party To the complaint, the mat
ter goes into court, but the court can only
decide points of law Thus it may hold
that not all evidence has been adduoed,
and may compel more evidence To be
taken. The rent commission makes an
other finding, which is final.
This act has been declared unconstitu-
tional by the lower courts here, and ls
pending in the Supreme Court with the
prospects that 1t viii be decided there by
the first of December.
In this situation, the tenant who be-
lIeves that he is being mulcted has the
basis upon which 10 make fight, and
have formed an organization known az the
Tenants Protective League Of Wash
ington for this purpose. The league,
which has membership fee Of 50, gives
free legal advice, and legal services for
half the usual attorneys fees. IL has an
arrangement with bonding company
by which any Of it's members can be bond
ed, who wish 10 refuse TO get 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 70
get out within 30 days, he simply pays no
attention to it. The landlord theQ goes
into court to get a writ of eviction. One OF
the league attorneys appears and notes
an appeal This means that the case
cannot be decided until the constitu-
tionality of the act has been passed upon
by the Supreme Court.
LEGAL DELAY HELPS TENANT.
II the Supreme Court holds the act
unconstitutional, then the writ of evlc-
ton can be issued and the tenant can De
put out. But that Is about all that can
happen 10 him, according TO the at
torneys for the league, and il Is not apt 20
happen for a long time. Here the we'll
known delays OF the law, which usually
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 hied
now viii not be reached for a couple of
wears, during all of which time the tenant
viii be enjoying the use of the apartment
at the old rent. Furthermore, these at
torneys say that no acton for the addl-
tional rent, which the tenant refused 20
paw viii be effective unless the landlord
has refused TO accept the old rent, which Is
paid by the tenant to the bonding COM
pany.
The total cost of thus noting an appeal
and resisting eviction, provided the ma
chlnery of the league is used, Is about 500.
In the event that the Ball act IS sustained
by the Supreme Court, and the tenant
wins in the action for writ OF eviction,
he will get back all but S27 of this money.
OF course the landlord may combat IN
various ways the desire OF the tenant 70
stay in the apartment. He may cut OF
the heat, the light, the gas or the tele-
phone service, and perhaps if he Is IN
genious he may find other ways OF annoy
ing the recalcitrant. Various cases OF
this have occurred. Usually, however,
lnA> sOIk VI AAcAh - OAA
BY landlords land more often by land
ladies' who own a single building each and
live in it. Thus case Is reported of one
woman with a baby 13 months old, who
refused either to get out or TO pay the sd-
vanced rent She could pot find another
place 10 20 and she could not find the
money to pay more rent. The landlady
promptly cut off the gas, 50 that the wo-
man could not cook ANYTHING
vINDIcrIvE LANDLADY.
Another landlady took all the furniture
out of furnished apartment, from which
the occupant refused 10 move, except
single chair. This she herself occupied and
announced her intention of STAYING there
until the tenant had vacated.
Such instances as this are rare. \
reputable real estate agent does not care
10 go in for such practices, and in the
present state of public feeling on the rent
question, he can scarcely afford to do so.
In fact, the real estate agent who col
lects the rents and manages the property
for the owner, is often a strong force for
amelioration. Frequently he admits that
the rents are excessive and endeavors 10
persuade the owner TO set more reason
able figure. The tenant is his client, as
we'll as the owner, and il is TO his interest
to keep everything harmonious and
smooth-rlnning.
In some cases all of the tenants in a
given apartment house have held an
meeting and have agreed
neither to pay the advanced>rate nor 10