Evening star., 1943-03-14
Rent Control Saved
S2&,0OO for Tenants
D. {. Board Reports
12,276 Petitions Filed
In l942, With 1866
Cleared From Docket

Rent Administrator Robert F.
Cogswell yesterday reported to the
District Commissioners his Office re-
duced rents to local tenants by more
than s284,000 during 1942, the first
year Of present rent control.
The administrator commended the
public at large, landlords and ten
ants alike, for having accepted rent
control as a necessary war measure
and endeavoring to meet its re-
quirements
A total Of 1926 formal petitions
for rate adjustments were filed for
the year. of which 1856 have been
cleared from the docket. AS of the
first of this year 538 cases had been
heard and were awaiting decisions
$50 were calendared and 1928 were
unscheduled.
81 Cases In Court.
His report yesterday was for the
last six months of 1942, although in
cluding cumulative figures. During
the semi-annual period litigants in
the cases heard requested reviews by
the administrator Of decisions made
by examiners in but 346 of a total
of 1852 cases. During the entire
year only "a were taken to Municipal
Court.
To protect war workers who were
being asked by landlords to vacate
their accommodations for one rea-
son or another, Mr.. Cogswell issued
an order requiring the landlord to
send to the rent administrator a
copy OF the notice to the tenant, ex-
planning the exact reason for the
demand. This prevented many il
legal evictions, he said.
The reasons usually given bv
operators OF rooming and boarding
houses to their tenants were cook
ing in sleeping rooms. using bath
rooms for laundry purposes, un-
necessary noise at night disturbing
to other tenants, destruction of
private property using housing ac-
commodations for immoral purposes
and refusal to cooperate in proper
management of premises. In many
instances such complaints were not
substantiated by thorough investi-
| CATION. and in other cases adjust
ments' resulted.
Landlords Refunded.
| Another phase of rent control. was
! the work of the public relations di-
vision which conducted informal in
| terviews with 13,l00 personal callers
| for the last six months of 1912. in
| addition to answering 1880 tele-
phone queries and complaints. OF
the informal complaints made by
tenants for overcharge of rents land
lords were made to refund total cash
payments aggregating approximately
$50 900 for the entire past year.
Mr. Cogswell pointed out these
estimated savings do not fully repre-
sent total annual savings since many
increases were prevented by action.
by this office before they actually
took effect. 7s
The largest and longest single
case heard during the past year in
volved the Greenway Apartments
affecting approximately 1890 per-
! sons.n This was, the only ssse ~jr
which the three examiners attached
to the rent, office sat as, a body tt
hear evidence. The decision re-
suited in an annual saving Of some
SIS, 900 to tenants. under adjust.
ments by which some rents were
lowered and others raised.
Mr.. Cogswel recommended thai
field investigator be assigned tt
office because of the great number
Of cases received which required
physical examination of properties
in addition to testimony that might
be taken at the rent office.
insufficient heat and hot watel
comprised the majority of com.
plants received from tenants.