Opinion ID: 1966812
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The RHC's Second Reconsideration Decision

Text: The landlord filed another appeal with this court, and again the RHC moved for remand so that it could reconsider the case. On remand, the Commission issued the decision presently on appeal. It held unanimously for the landlord, ruling that the District's rent control legislation does not prohibit the use of comparable units in a different building within a multi-building complex where there is sufficient evidence that they are part of one, integrated, multi-building complex. In short, the Commission reinstated its 1977 Pyne decision. The Commission reasoned that a vacancy rent ceiling adjustment is not unlawful solely because the comparable unit utilized is in a different building. It held that a tenant may, however, create a prima facie case of such violation by alleging and proving that the comparable unit is in a different building, and this will require the landlord to come forward with evidence showing the various indicia of integration upon which he relies to prove that the multi-building complex should be considered a single housing accommodation. While the decision indicates that it would be the landlord's burden to show all these factors existed such that the vacancy increase qualified as an exception to the rule that such increases be taken only from units in the same building, the Commission simply reversed instead of remanding. It did so because it found that the official notice taken by the hearing examiner of rent history records was taken improperly, since the landlord had no opportunity to contest the facts of which notice was taken. Lastly, the Commission found that the hearing examiner's computation of interest on the loss of air-conditioning award was incorrect, and held that the interest should be computed over a three-month period, because Daisy Marshall was without air-conditioning for three months only.