Evening star., 1924-02-20
RENT REGULATION NEED DENIED
BY CAPITAL REAL ESTATE EXPERT
John Petty Declares No 'Ring'' Exists to Increase
Rates-Less Than One Per Cent of Tenants
Testify for La,U, He Asserts

Speaking for himself. and not for
the Washington Real Estate Board
John A. Petty, executive secretary
OF that organization, delivered a pre-
pared statement before the House
subcommittee on rent legislation last
night. which he claimed was the first
exhaustive discussion of the prob
lem from the real estate mans point
OF. view which has been made
Mr Petty first denied the existence
OF any real estate ring" in Wash
ington and proceeded with his state
ment, which follows:
There are three reasons WHY. in
my personal opinion, the Washington
Real Estate Board has not entered
INTO the controversy over this legis-
lation.
Some Dealers Favor Law.
"First-Among it's smembership there
are some brokers who honestly be-
lIeve that the rental legislation has
been the direct cause of increasing
the sale of homes and thereby in
creasing their profits from sale COM
! missions. For this reason they are
| at least Indifferent to the question of
extending the Rent Commission.
'Second-Other members conduct
businesses largely of Il brokerage
character and have little or no So
called rent departments. These
liltHlUtTS HAVE nOl come III contact
with the operation of the Rent Com
mission and know little of the prob
! lem and likewise are uninterested
and Indifferent.
Third-There are other members of
| the board who have refrained from
actively opposing this legislation be-
/ cause they hesitate to take the risk
of being misunderstood and mis-
quoted or inSulted and embarrassed
by being maligned and branded in the
mi h TOW n
supporters of the Rent Commission
! have frequently used.
Asks Iroad survey.
From the newspaper accounts Of
| these hearings, it seems to me that
the economic and fundamental prlnci-
pies involved in this Legislation are
not being given as much prominence
as their Importance merit. Consider
able time seems to have been given
to the consideration of individual
cases of tenants and landlords and
not enough time nor thought to a
broad study of the subject to insure
Il correct and sound conclusion. Prac-
tically all of the evidence, testimony
and statements brought out in these
hearings come from parties that are
directly Interested in the subject III
hand and irrespective of the position
each takes must necessarily be innu-
enced by personal interests.
1T has been stated that there are
10000 tenants in the city of Wash
inEton. My own personal belief is
that this number is slightly eXasger-
ated. However, much less than | per
cent of this vast group of people have
found il necessary or sufficiently I'M
Iortant to appear in support OF the
continuation of the Rent Commission.
This fact should be seriously consld-
cred by Congress because it is funda-
mental Furthermore. if the teSti-
mony offered in support of the Rent
Commission by individual tenants
was carefully and impartlally ana
lyzed, investigated and verlled, II Is
my belief that such testimony i'll
many Instances would be found to
have been colored and perhaps delib-
erately eoiored.
ut would also be apparent that in
many instances the Testimony was
given by some persons who are un-
reasonable and unfair and unpopular
with not only the broker or landlord
involved, but indeed large NUMBER
of fellow tenants occupying other
portions of the same property. In or
der to be entirely fair, Congress
should satisfy itself in this respect
and weigh and consider the testimony
of any such persons in accordance
with the actual conditions that would
be disclosed upon investigation.
Operation OF Rent Law.
"In respect to the law itself, which
believe Congress intended to be
equities in it's operation to emphasize
that the law is not fair.
"Qne dissatisfied and unreasonable
tenant in an apartment house may
disturb. inconvenience and discom-
mode other tenants residing in the
same building. He or she may be dis
agreea BILE to the employees of the
landlord and seriously interfere with
the service that is necessary for the
comfort and convenience of the other
e.. -, IL
operators and elevator cond uctors
Such Il tenant can, in addition to this.
subject the owner to serious fncon-
,venience and expense by bringing
him before the Rent Commission to
defend a complaint and indeed
through this act force reduction in
rent throughout the entire building
when the other tenants are perfectly
satisfied to pay the rentals they have
agreed to pay.
clearly illustrated in the case of an
individual owner of a two-family
apartment who occupies one of the
apartments and rents the other. The
tenant may be abusive, commit nui-
sances and annoyances both in the
are unbearable and make it utterly
impossible for the owner and his
family to enjoy the peace, comfort
and security in his home that ought
to be and is his constitutional right.
AS a result of this the owner has
only one recourse and that is to sell
his property and move out and this
is in substance giving the tenant con-
troll over another's property.
Points Law Does Not Reach.
1T is true that the law provides a ,
means to disposSesS tenants who |
commit nuisances, but it must be ap-
parent to all that there are many |
things that tenant can do that |
could not legally be called a nuisance, !