The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-04-29
Que sfions And Answers Abou:
Leases Under The New Rent Law


the Wheeling -Steubenville Defens
Area Rent Office, today release,
questions and answers about leas
provisions of the Housing and Ren
Act of 194S which went into effec
on April /. The law contains provi
sions permitting landlords and ten
ants to enter into voluntary writ
ten leases increasing rents up t.
Is per cent.
The first group of questions anC
answers covers the way in which
the new law affects "1947 leases
those which landlords and ten
ants entered into before January 1
194S under the provisions of the
Housing and Rent Act of 1947
This law has now been amended by
the Housing and Rent Act of 194s
which became effective on April l
194S.
1947 Leases
1. @. My landlord and | entered
into written lease before January
1, 1948 in which | agreed to an in
crease of Is per cent in my rent
The lease ends on December 81,
194S. Is the rental unit decOntrol-
led on January /, 1919?
A. No. Any unit covered by a
1947 lease which expires and ter
inmates on December 81, 1913 is re-
controlled on January l, 1949 and
is protected by the law until March
81, 1949-the expiration date of
the Housing and Rent Act of 1948.
2. @. My 1947 lease will termin-
ate on December 81, 1948. 1t is for
a Is per cent increase. What is the
maximum rent when the place is
recontrolled on January 1, 1949?
A. The maximum rent is the rent
named in the 1947 lease, whether
the lease provided for Is per
cent increase or a lesser amount.
Note:-In rental areas where there
has been an overall increase in
rent, it will be necessary to deter
mine what the rent would have
been on March 80, 1913 if there
had been no 1947 lease. Compare
this amount with the rent named
in the 1947 lease. The maximum on
January /, 1949 will be whichever
of these amounts is higher.
8. q. Please give examples of
the foregoing.
A. (a) Suppose that you had
signed 1947 lease in October 1947
increasing your rent Is per cent
from $50 to $3.50 and there has
been no overall increase in rent in
your area. Your rent on January
/, 1949 will remain at $3.50.
3. A. (b) Suppose the l947 lease
you signed was a per cent in
crease from $50 to $3.50 and there
has been no overall increase in
rent in your area. Your rent on
January l, 1949 will remain at
$3.50.
(c) Suppose a general increase
of 8 per cent was authorized for
rents in your area and the increase
became effective before March 30,
1913. In the absence of a 1947
lease, your rent on March 30, 1948
would have been $54. In example
(a), since the rent named in your
lease of $3.50 is higher than $54,
it would reamin at $3.50 on Jan
uary /, 1949. In example (b),
since the rent named in your lease
of $3.50 is lower than $54, your
rent on January |, 1949 would be-
come $54.
40. | signed 19i7 lease in which
] agreed to rent increase of 10
percent. My landlord has now Of
fered me 1913 lease which would /
increase my rent by a total of Is
per cent over the rent in effect he !
fore | signed my 19i7 lease. If |
wish to sign this l948 lease which
runs through December 81, l9i9,
may do so?
A. Yes. Any unit covered by a !
1947 lease which ends on or after
April /, 104S but before April l., !
1949 which was not increased the
full Is per cent by the l947 lease
is eligible for the balance Of the 15
per cent upon entering upon a new
194S voluntary lease. Mote: The
requirements for "A l94S voluntary
lease are described in section be-
low.
5. q. My 19i7 lease is for the
full Is per cent, and runs through
December 81, 194s. My landlord has
offered To extend this lease through
December 81, l9i9 at the same
rent. If | decide TO sign this lease,
may | do SO?
A. Yes.
8. o. moved into my present
rented accommodations on Novem-
ber Is, l9i7. The previous tenant
had signed lease agreeing to an
increase in rent. When | moved in,
| did not sign a lease. What rent
can the landlord now charge me?
A. Under the, new rent law the
unit was automatically removed 1
from rent control on January /
1948 and remains decontrolled. Any 4
unit covered by l947 lease which
terminated on or before December
81, 1947 was automatically decon-
trolled on January /, l94S and re-
mains decontroled under the new