Evening star., 1946-03-05
Letters to The Star
Tells Landlords Side of Problem
Unsolved by Rent Board

oIiSOlNCd ny NGlt DOdIu
To the Editor of The Star:
I think it is time that landlords
banded together to get justice, not from
their tenants-Lord knows no one who
rents any place expects that - but
from the Rent Board I do not refer
to professional landlords, companies,
ETC., who rent on a big scale, but to
those who make an apartment on the
top floor or one in the basement OF
their homes, in response to heart
rending appeals to give room to the
clamoring homeless; or to those land
lords who have bought rundown houses
in the past year or two and who spend
a great deal of money for remodeling,
with the idea of space for their own
living and several small apartments
to rent.
The trusting investor who does this
calls at 1774 Massachusetts avenue
and is given papers to fill out He may
or may not be told that there are two
ways of making applications for rents
to be fixed; that in one case rents go
to zero and are fixed anew, and that
in the other, former ceiling rents are
adjusted, as in the case of house,
with rooms for rent or apartments,
which is sold and completely re-
modelled.
This happened to me recently.
rented several apartments in house I
had remodeled and applied for rents
to be fixed. AS in the case OF one
friend who had waited year and
half with no settlement by the Rent
Board, and in another case person
who had waited a full year with no
settlement, took tenants into the
apartments, charging them rents the
same as for comparable apartments in
my immediate neighborhood. Let this
be a warning to the unWary amateur
landlord Tenants will agree to any
rent, and once in, will go to the Rent
Board to get the lowest rental possible.
After a few months, the tenants and
I were notified of hearing. The ten
ants attended, but I was Ill in bed and
gave written notice of inability to
attend Nevertheless, the Rent Board
cut the rent of one apartment to less
than half and the rent of another to
two-f1fths of what the tenants had
agreed to pay. Notice to this effect
was given, although the owner had had
no hearing nor any inspection of her
property.
Some time after receiving this notice,
:z,@
over my case with one of the ex-
aminers. I was told that I would not
be obliged to refund the difference in
rent from what had been paid and the
new rentals, but 1 was Informed that
as the rents had gone to zero, I had
no right to charge anything, and the
tenants could sue me for a return of
the several months rents paid! 1t
appears that this is not a fact and
the courts have decided that at no
time did living space have no rental
value whatever.
These rents being set lower than those
of all apartments made available dur
ing the past three years, in her own
neighborhood, the owner was obliged
to consult her lawyer. Application was
made for a re-hearing; this has been
denied
Meanwhile. the tenants were in
formed of the new rent ceilings, then
that, as had made application for
re-hearing and this constituted a
stay" they must pay the original
rents until decision was given in the
case. They sought information of the
Rent Board, not getting anywhere; then
consulted their own lawyers, and were
as confused as the owner.
The owner now is pleading for re-
consideration by the administrator and
is likely to have to go to court. Mean
while, rents are fixed SO low that there
is no adequate return on the money
invested I always have understood
rents must show 10 per cent return
and that per cent is counted for
operating costs.
But the point is: The Rent Board
set these rents before the owner had
any hearing and without any inspection
as to the value or deSirability of the
apartments The Board seems muddled,
wrong information is given and, in
this case anyway, both tenants and
landlord have been obliged to seek ad-
vice from lawyers to tell them what
their rights are, and unless this owner
is given fair return on her invest
ment, she will be obliged to sell the
property.
There must be many cases where
unfairness has been practiced against
property owners. Landlords, whether
professional or amateur, should band
together for mutual enlightenment and
help.
ONE nE THE n0MNTROD