The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1949-06-02
new RENT ACT
EXPLAINED BY
RENT DIRECTOR
Walsh Returns from Con-
ference with National
Housing Expediter

More rent Observation-Disclosures
justified - for landlords, heavier
penalties for wllful violatcrs of the
law. and stronger protection against
overcharges and unlawful evlctions
for tenants" is the way Walter E.
Walsh, Juneau Area Rent Director
Attorney, summed up the meaning
cl the l949 Housing and Rent Act
today following his return from a
4-day conference in San Francisco
with Tighe Woods, National Hous-
ing Expediter and Ward Cox, Re
gional Housing Expediter.
Walsh said the conference had
provided him and his staff with
operating instructions on details of
the adjustment, eviction control
treble damage and recontrol pro-
visions restored to the federal rent
law.
NEW APPROACH
The new flair net operating in
come adjustment provision, as
worked out by the Office of the
Housing Expediter in response to
specific congressional directives,
provided an entirely new approach
to the problem of inadequate land
lord income. MANY landlords he
stated, who up until now were
unable to qualify for a rent in
crease may be atle to do so under
this provision
Under their fair net operating
income provision, landlords OF
structures containing four units or
less are entitled to rent increase
ii their net operating income is
less than Is percent of their gross
income, and landlords of stfuc-
lures containing more than four
units are entitled to an adjust
ment if their net operating income
is less than 20 percent of their
g1css incomes. Net operating in
come is defined as gross income
minus operating expenses and a
depreciation. allowance. Eligible
small landlords would receive an
increase bringing their net operat-
ing income to 80 percent OF their
gross. income, and eligible large
landlords enc to bring net operat-
ing income to Is percent OF gross
income"
OPERATIONAL DETAILS
Opsrational details for applying
the new formula were worked out
at the conference Walsh said, and
the Juneau office is now prepared
to take action on petitions fled
under the new provision. Copies
OF the petition forms may be o5-
tanned from the Area Rent Office
in the Valentine Building.
Turning to points of the new rent
law of particular interest to ten
ants, Walsh emphasized that the
new treble damage and eviction
control provisions provided an
effective tool for combating illegal
overcharges, bonuses, furniture
tie-ins and other practices through
which some tenants have been VIC
timized in the past.
While the new eviction control
provisions will operate to halt I'M
lawful evictions, Walsh pointed out,
they will not unduly delay proper
legal eviction of tenants who fail
to pay the legal rent, commit a
nuisance, or use the premises Tor
immoral or Illegal purposes. The
eviction control provisions of the
new law place the rent office IN
position to evaluate individual
cases on their own merits and ex-
ped.te relief for either landlord or
tenant, depending on the facts
Problems involved in recontrol-
ling. accommodations previously de-
controlled which in many cases VIII
mean rent rollbacks were also eX-
tensively discussed, Walsh said.