Evening star., 1942-02-01
Rent Increases
Of Nearly 1907
Are Approved
New Rates Accepted
By Tenants in
First 30 Cases
Nv JAMES Y. NEWTON

BY JAMES Y. NEWTON,
Approval of the first landlord
applications for rent increases,
some of which amounted to
nearly 100 per cent, were an
nounced late yesterday by Rob-
ert F. Cogswell, District rent
administrator.
IN each, of 80 cases where Mr.
cossweu set new maximum ceilings
the tenant had agreed to an in
crease by signing a consent form,
an instrument drawn up by the
ONCE to expedite cases where there
Is no dispute with landlords. Most
Of the increases were held justi-
ned because the landlord had either
furnished the quarters or remodeled
extensively since January l. l94l,
freezing date of the rent law.
The first case actually approved
BY the administrator involved Louis
Ginsberg, landlord, and Eppie VIM
bush, tenant In this the rent for
. house at 1909 Twelfth street Sc.
was raised from $1875 a month to
SIS. On the first OF last year the
house was rundown, and was oc-
cupied by a tenant who was i'll
and in financial distress" Later,
when this tenant moved out, Mr..
Ginsberg remodeled the property,
spending $500 in the operation.
Rent Reverted January 1.
Mr.. Ginsberg raised the rent.
However, he was forced to put it
back to $l8.75 when the rent law
became effective on January this
year. He appealed for the increase,
and when the new tenant agreed
to 1t, Mr.. Cogswell approved.
In another case the administra-
tor approved rent increases for eight
apartments in two converted dwell
lings on Sixteenth street. This
landlord bought the structures last
year and spent $4,000 in practi-
cany rebuilding them. The tenants
there had been paying higher rents
since last August Though he had
high payments on the remodeling
loan to meet, the landlord on Janu-
ary 1 could collect mot a penny
more" than was received for the
rundown apartments year ago.
Substantial increases were approved
for all of them.
One Of the largest increases was
allowed in a case where Mrs. Daisy
Hubbard Mott rented an apartment
at 270I Connecticut avenue NV. to
Louis K. Friedman. Mr.. Cogswell
raised the rent from $125 to $225
q month when Mrs. Mott showed
she had placed $1,000 worth Of
furniture in the apartment in the
last year.
Vacant on Freezing Date"
There were several instances in
yesterdays cases where Mr.. Cogs-
well fixed rents for apartments and
houses which were vacant on the
freezing date.
Stanislas Czetwertynski was al
lowed to raise from $40 to $225 the
rent on large apartment at 1868
Columbia road NV. The tenant,
Francis D. Culkin, agreed to the
change since the unit has been fur
nished since last year.
Reviewing work Of the Office dur
ing the first month of operation,
Mr.. Cogswell said he and his staff
had interviewed more than $500
tenants. whose complaints ranged
from increase in rent because of an
addition to the family to being
forced to take in washing. A total
OF 1,417 formal complaints have
been filed. In 1890 of these land
lords request rent increases. Tenants
generally request lower rents, though
in some cases they want more serv-
Ices for the rent they pay
In all cases where there has not
been a consent on the part of the
tenant a hearing will be scheduled.
Each complaint filed, Mr.. Cogswell
said, will be acknowledged this week
by postcard. Dates for the first
hearings will be set this week,
though the first case likely will not
be heard before February IS.
Some Settlements by Phone.
Mr.. Cogswell said his staff has
been able to settle a number of
complaints by telephone. AS an ex-
ample he cited the case of young
housewife who called yesterday to
describe an argument she had with
her landlord over hanging clothes
In the back yard. She said the
landlord actually ripped her mice
white things" from the clothesline
and threw them in the mud. To add
insult to injury, the landlord then
proceeded to lock her out Of the
basement apartment. A call to the
landlord, the Administrator said,
made him "see the light of day"
But, we couldn't wash the muddy
clothes,' Mr.. Cogswell added.
In q dozen instances, involving
fragrant violations of the law, where,
for example tenant was turned out
of quarters without court order,
the ONCE dispatched attaches for a
talk" with the landlord. A settle
ment was reached in every case
without police court action.
Coast Guard Auxi|iaries