Evening star., 1939-07-09
Reforms Urged
In Landlord and
Tenant Court
Housing Association
Seeks Action After
Exhaustive Survey

Reforms in the landlord and ten
ant branch of Municipal Court to
give tenants a better standing have
been recommended by the WASH
ington Housing Association as
part of its program for improving
landlord and tenant relations.
Other recommendations on the
associations program, the result of
an exhaustive survey of conditions
here, include legislation to grant
express power for extension of time
to worthy tenants, installment pay
ment of rent in arrears and protec-
ton for tenants when landlords re-
fuse to make necessary repairs.
The proposed court reforms and
Improvements include reduction in
court costs, informal trial procedure
and simplified forms of complaints.
Result of Survey.
The recommendations as to court
reforms resulted from study of a
special committee headed by James
A Cobb former Municipal Court
judge. Serving on the committee
with Judge Cobb were Canon Anson
Phelps Stokes, president of the as
sociation; Judge Nathan Cayton of
Municipal Court, Leifur Magnusson.
DR.. Laurence F. Schmeckebier of the
Brookings Institution, J. Bernard
Wyckoff and Mrs Helen Duey Hoff-
man, executive director of the as
sociation.
The committee, meeting with
Municipal Court judges early in
June, informally outlined proposals
and since has made its recommended
tions in formal report.
AS a result of the committees
meeting with the judges. costs al
ready have been reduced from 81
to IS cents. it was stated. It is esti-
mated this will result in savings of
more than $4,000 a year for the
tenants sued each year in Municipal
Court.
The committee. however, urged
still further reductions in costs in
the interest of saving tenants un-
| necessary costs.
"iuc DISCTellOn AllOWed.
Under proposed new rules of
procedure, judges sitting in the land
lord and tenant branch of the court
would be authorized to exercise a
wide discretion in the allowance of
costs. This. it is pointed out. would
discourage premature filing of suits.
Judges would be authorized also to
impose penalties on landlords seek
ing to exact illegal costs.
| A small minority of real estate
agents, the committee pointed ou., ,
/ nave made 1t practice to exact eX-
cessive fees under the guise of
costs and service charges.
! The committee condemned the
present practice of judge devoting
only half an hour day to the hear
ing of more than $50 cases.
/ 1t is no wonder the committees
report said. that under the stress
of such an arrangement the hearing
/ OF these cases has degenerated into
a mere roll call. with not nearly
sufficient time for. the Judge to lend
an attentive ear to the problems of
! tenants"
Afternoon Hearings Favored.
1t recommended that cases be
! heard in the afternoon. instead of
$3.50 am. as at present. In this way.
1t was pointed out. a Judge would
/ be able to devote all afternoon, If
necessary, to this work.
A simplified form of complaint.
similar to the statement of claim
used in the small claims branch of
the court, is proposed. 1t would
employ everyday language, state the
amount of costs accrued. and invite
the tenant to come into court to
give his defense, if he has one, or
to obtain further time to pay if he
desired
In line with the simplifed COM
plant form, the abolition of Rule
16," requiring formal affidavit for
defense was recommended. The
committee said that in actual prac-
tice this rule has deprived thou
sands of tenants of the right to be
hard. Out of approximately 1000
cases heard each month, it was
pointed out, an average of only seven
tenants have trials.
Detailed Reports.
Another proposal would provide
for withholding entry of Judgment
in proper cases in order to protect
rights of the parties to the suit.
Detailed reports and statistics
would be required, showing all trans
actions in the court daily Also
1t is provided that a monthly sum-
mary should be submitted to the
Attorney General
only in this manner" the COM
mittee said, can the service of the
court and its value to the COM
mnnity be properly measured"
Judge Cobb said only majority
vote of the judges is necessary to
put the rules into effect.
Canon Stokes, expressing himself
as delighted with the proposals, de-
scribed them as "far-reaching and
salutary improvements, designed to
meet the needs of those who need
help the most, namely, the almost
$4,000 tenants who are sued in the