Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-25
Angry Tenants
Protest Plan 10
Sell Broadmoor
Will File Complaint
With Rent Office,
Charging Violations

will receive a protest within few
Gays that the proposed sale of the
Broadmoor Apartments, Connecticut
avenue and Porter street NV, is a
violation of the letter and spirit of
the rent control law" a group of
Broadmoor tenants said today.
Aroused tenants variouSly de-
scribed the proposed sale by a new
corporation. the Broadmoor Co.
operative Apartments, Inc. as IAN
attempt to circumvent the law" "a
raw deal" and "a holdup'
One tenant who is an attorney
said buyers of apartments won't
even own a blade of grass under this
cooperative scheme
The plan to file a protest was re-
vealed as Robert F. Cogswell, Dis
trict rent control administrator,
said it was his opinion that under
the law purchasers, to gain posses
sion of their apartments, would
have to give 3o-day written notices
to tenants and then, if the tenants
did not move would have to insti-
tute court proceedings" These, he
said, could be long, drawn out"
Tenants Cite Monthly Charges.
Disclosure that the new corpora
ton headed by Edward j. Flynn,
real estate broker, had obtained a
three-month option to buy the 1877
unit, eight-story apartment build
ing was made yesterday. Present
owners are Bernard Bralove and
Edward c. Ernst.
The option calls for purchase
payment of s2,375,oOO to the present
owners, tenants said. Purchase
price to cooperative buyers will be-
S2.500,000. they pointed out.
In support of their contention
that recent use of the so-called Co
operative plan of sale in the Dis
trlct was, in reality, an attempt tot
circumvent the rent law, tenants
cited examples to show that monthly
charges to buyers in some cases eX-
ceeded present rents at the Broad
moor.
Point to Payment Plan.
One example cited was as follows:
The price of an apartment having
one bedroom, kitchen, living room,
dining room, bath and porch is
$4,000. To purchase a perpetual
use and equity contract" to the
apartment, prospective buyer must
pay cash down payment of
S5,24940 plus monthly charge of
s99.3S. The monthly rent is
now 500
A tenant said there was no guar
sntee that this payment would not
be increased after the first year in
case operating and maintenance
costs increased.
Operating and maintenance charges |
were listed at $50 for the first year. |
plus monthly payment of $50,38
as a monthly payment on the trust |
and for interest on the trust, bring
ing the total monthly payments to
$89 38. Presumably the monthly
payments on the first trust of ST.
$4,000 and for interest on the trust |
will stop at the end of 81 years,
when the mortgage is due to be
amortized, the tenant said. Main
tenance and operating charges, how
ever, will continue.
Tenants Urge Legal Advice.
Another example cited was that
of an apartment costing S22,500, |
which has living room, dining room,
kitchen, two bedrooms, bath, foyer
and porch. The down payment
would be S9,085.50 cash. The total
monthly charge would be Sl54,69, |
divided between $3.50 for operation
and maintenance, and S87 10 as pay
payments on the trust and for in
terest on the trust. The present rent |
is Sl40 a month.
The prospectus of the new cor
poration explains that Mr.. Flynn, |
president of the cooperative, shall
be employed for the present to act |
as managing agent at a fee of $500
month"
One tenant who is aroused over
One tenant who is aroused over
the plan of sale said he would ad-
wise prospective buyers to get an
attorney SO they will know what
they are getting into if they are
thinking about buying"
Flynn Defends Action.
Mr.. Flynn, when informed of the
tenants move. said:
I'm following the same pattern in
sales that I've followed for % years. I.
This is my doth building in Wash /
ington and if any one wants to
know whether or not the purchasers
consider themselves owners. they
can contact the owners of the other |
80 buildings"
Elwood H. Seal, attorney for
Messrs. Bralove and Ernst said that
lin only few cases are monthly !
charges after cooperative sale |
higher than present rents" He said
that in some cases apartments being
sold are not comparable to present |
apartments being rented, and
therefore, there are no COMPARE |
sons possible between rental |
charges and purchase charges.
In most of the cases." Mr.. Seal
said, monthly charges after sale will
be less than rental charges. He
cited number of tiers" of eight
apartments each which he said had
,ower monthly charges after sale.
In one group. he said, rents are
now s85 to $50 while charges after
sale would be s72l9 monthly for
the first year A cash down pay
ment of $4,000 is required on these
apartments.
Mr.. Seal said the cooperative
corporation was not required to sell
but that about a rs per cent sale