Evening star., 1942-01-25
Cancellation Service
For Nuisance Cases
Planned by Rent ChieI
Will Settle Disputes
Where Formal Hearings
Are Held Unnecessary
By JAMES Y. NEWTON.

A conciliation service will be set
up in tfH District Rent Contrel
ONCE TO settle nuisance" cases,
minor disputes between landlord
and tenant where formal hearings
are held unnecessary. Administrator
Robert r. Cogswell announced yes
terday.
An example Of such q case is
that of a tenant who complained
her landlady shut of the electricity
during the day. The tenant said
she couldn't even toast q piece Of
bread" The landlady- replied she
was merely following the policy of
conservation established by Presi-
dent Roosevelt"
The tenant. she said, was "wast-
ing valuable electricity" by leaving
lights on all day. The Government
would reap another benefit from
her lights of" idea. for she is using
money saved to buy Defense saw
ings stamps, the woman added.
This will be the first case for the
conciliation service to handle next
week. To carry out the idea, it
will be necessary to appoint an
other attache to the rent ONCE.
This will be done soon, Mr.. Cogs-
well said.
Another Nuisance" Case.
Another nuisance" case cited was
that of two girls who complained
Of too little heat. Rent oficials
corrected the situation for them.
Two days later the landlord COM
planned the girls were leaving win
dows open to let the heat out. A
number of these minor cases, Mr..
Cogswell suspects, are part of a
plan of harassment on the part of
some landlords to get the tenants
out. One woman said her landlord
had forbidden her to use the front
door.
Mr.. Cogswell announced also that
the new consent forms are ready.
These will be used and signed in
instances where rents have been
raised in the last year because of
new furnishings or extensive re-
modelling, and the tenant agrees
to the increase. There are hundreds
Of such cases throughout Washing
ton, and the landlords involved
stand to lose thousands Of dollars
under the rent law. Mr.. Cogswell
has stated the agreement for in
creases will not be retroactive, and
the landlord technically is breaking
the law even If he accepts the ad-
ditional rent for January as a gift
from the tenant. Consent forms
are expected to expedite handling
these cases.
Through yesterday the ONCE had
received 791 petitions from land
lords, most of whom seek to have
rent set up to the level before jan
uary l, when the law took effect. A
few landlords ask higher rentals,
citing rising operating costs and
higher rentals received by others
for comparable quarters. Many Of
these cases will be settled through
tenant consent to increases. How
ever, even where the tenant agrees
to an increase, an attache Of the
onice will examine the figure, "just
in case it's very much out Of line. "
Petitions From 1o7 Tenants.
Mr.. Cogswell has received 107
petitions for relief from tenants.
Formal hearings will have to be
held In nearly every case Of this
type. Though there are many in
stances where the tenant has agreed
to the landlords demands, there Is
not q single example Of landlord
acquiescence.
All next week, Mr.. Cogswen and
Ernest p. Henry. ONCE counsel, will
be engaged in working out actual
procedure for the formal hearings
involving serious disputes and COM
plants. The first case Of this type
probably win not, be heard before