Monday, July 15, 2013
The Ask the Advocate feature appears in the July 12th issue of the Washington Post Express's "Ready to Rent" section.
Q: What do I do if I have a dispute with my landlord over rent?
A: In the event of a rent dispute in the District of Columbia, the tenant should first determine what legal claims he or she may have.
The D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate has case managers available to help renters figure this out. Any District tenant can walk in to meet with a case manager Monday through Friday between 8:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Bring along all relevant documents including rent-increase notices for the past three years, related correspondence including about maintenance and repairs, and a copy of the lease.