RENTERS: No license, no rent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To summarize:

Illegal landlords can try their luck in the short term rental market. They need a license.

Renters renting from illegal landlords should in my opinion take the cue from these law-breakers and push the envelope as far as it would go. If your rental is not licensed, most likely it can’t be and for a good reason.

For the rest of you out there, pay $200 and get yourself a license, you cheapskates.

Yes, they need a license - and they can waltz right in there and get one because they’re now far easier to get than a certificate of occupancy for a long term rental. All the new law is going to do is persuade a lot of landlords on the fence - illegal long term rental, or legal arbnb rental? - to go with arbnb. And the effect will be to remove many entirely safe and comfortable units from the long term affordable housing market.

I’m perfectly comfortable with that. You, the illegal long term landlord, will now be subject to the fair market forces. The legal landlords will get on, and there will be more units that are not basements because no Airbnb. Done.

But I don’t actually care about that. I care that your renter knows their rights and possibilities if they decide to rent your illegal rental.

Right, we know. You care more about strict enforcement of draconian laws that have no relation to health or safety even if they drive up the cost of affordable housing. We get it. I suspect the many, many basement apartment renters in this city who would be forced out of where they live for no logical reason other than overly strict laws might disagree with you.

But they do have to do with health and safety. They are very very basic rules. In fact, they are a shockingly low bar. 6’4” to 7’ height. Egress. No unsafe outlets. No mold.

What’s your excuse for not getting a $200 license?

[Anonymous]

Here’s a summary of the “draconian laws”: privacy, safety, dignity, at minimum levels.

https://realestateinthedistrict.com/dc-rental-basement-guidelines/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is very simple. Get a license.

If you can’t, you can try your luck with short term. You need a short term license.

If you don’t want to, renters should reclaim the power in that relationship.

I don’t see the problem.

You can now Airbnb your illegal unit. You’ll need a short term license. You’ll pay taxes. Market will speak up.

If you still choose to behave illegally and above the law, why would your renters do any differently and pay you rent?

This is so landlord friendly now, everyone has an option. There’s no excuse for illegal apartments

[Anonymous]

We did the CofO more than decade ago and recently had to do our renewal. It's a good process that makes sure that things are up to date and up to code. I feel better knowing everything is as a landlord. I wouldn't the liability that would come from not having these things done. Dealing with DCRA still sucks though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To summarize:

Illegal landlords can try their luck in the short term rental market. They need a license.

Renters renting from illegal landlords should in my opinion take the cue from these law-breakers and push the envelope as far as it would go. If your rental is not licensed, most likely it can’t be and for a good reason.

For the rest of you out there, pay $200 and get yourself a license, you cheapskates.

Yes, they need a license - and they can waltz right in there and get one because they’re now far easier to get than a certificate of occupancy for a long term rental. All the new law is going to do is persuade a lot of landlords on the fence - illegal long term rental, or legal arbnb rental? - to go with arbnb. And the effect will be to remove many entirely safe and comfortable units from the long term affordable housing market.

I’m perfectly comfortable with that. You, the illegal long term landlord, will now be subject to the fair market forces. The legal landlords will get on, and there will be more units that are not basements because no Airbnb. Done.

But I don’t actually care about that. I care that your renter knows their rights and possibilities if they decide to rent your illegal rental.

Right, we know. You care more about strict enforcement of draconian laws that have no relation to health or safety even if they drive up the cost of affordable housing. We get it. I suspect the many, many basement apartment renters in this city who would be forced out of where they live for no logical reason other than overly strict laws might disagree with you.

But they do have to do with health and safety. They are very very basic rules. In fact, they are a shockingly low bar. 6’4” to 7’ height. Egress. No unsafe outlets. No mold.

What’s your excuse for not getting a $200 license?

A while back a pretty smart and well written post explained how wrong you are. Yes, they ARE health and safety regulations that are part of the certificate of occupancy process, but there are also many requirements in the process that have nothing to do with health and safety. Not only that, once you apply for the certificate of occupancy you are at the whims of whichever inspector you happen to get. Some are nitpickers because they get off on the power - or want a pay off. We are talking about the DC government, remember? Once you let them in, you won’t be able to let them out.

You’re also confusing a business license with a certificate of occupancy. I do have the license, and I do report all the income and pay all the taxes. I just don’t have the certificate of occupancy. If DC ever comes after me for that, well, I’ll pay the fine and talk over with my current tenants what they want to do. I have a very strong hunch that they won’t want to move and see their place turned into an arbnb. So I’ll take my chances.

[Anonymous]

Not true.

Look the point of this isn’t anything other than what the headline says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did the CofO more than decade ago and recently had to do our renewal. It's a good process that makes sure that things are up to date and up to code. I feel better knowing everything is as a landlord. I wouldn't the liability that would come from not having these things done. Dealing with DCRA still sucks though.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a summary of the “draconian laws”: privacy, safety, dignity, at minimum levels.

https://realestateinthedistrict.com/dc-rental-basement-guidelines/

Yea, I get that. But the devil is in the details and in who you get as an inspector.

I’ll give you a very good example, using our place as an illustration. When we bought it it had tenants in the basement but no certificate of occupancy. The basement is so nice that it’s what sealed the deal for us. We literally thought “wow, we don’t need the upstairs at all, we could live here!”

The tenants knew the place didn’t have a C of O but didn’t care. They wanted to stay on, and we were fine with it.

The Sellers’s agent told us that the sellers did try to “make it legal,” but guess what the hold up was: the circuit breaker for the entire house is in the basement apartment, and the inspector insisted that each unit had to have access to their circuit breakers through their own unit. Tearing out the walls and moving part of the wiring upstairs in order to install a separate circuit breaker in the upstairs living room would have cost thousands and thousands of dollars with absolutely no “health or safety” enhancements whatsoever. I mean, I guess if the situation were the other way around and the whole circuit breaker system was upstairs instead of down, there might be some kind of argument that could be made that it needed to be this way for the tenants. But if the circuit breaker is downstairs, and you and the tenant agree that if an upstairs circuit ever trips - which has happened maybe twice in the many many years that we have owned the house - we could either ask the tenant to switch it back for us or, if they’re not around, go into their apartment (with permission being granted in the lease for this specific purpose), what’s the problem? Where’s the health and safety issue?

Oh, and we were also told that by paying $6000 to a private company to deal with DCRA for us we could guarantee a different result. Sounds an awful lot like facilitating a bribe to me.

If you can guarantee me that DCRA will treat my application fairly, and put money where your mouth is, I’d be happy to give it a go. Otherwise, I’ll take my chances on a fine.

By the way, have you ever gone a mile over the legal speed limit on the thinking that, hey, yea, it’s illegal but not hurting anybody?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did the CofO more than decade ago and recently had to do our renewal. It's a good process that makes sure that things are up to date and up to code. I feel better knowing everything is as a landlord. I wouldn't the liability that would come from not having these things done. Dealing with DCRA still sucks though.

This.

Thanks. I'm the PP and should have mentioned that we also did the business license. It's like $250 per year. DCRA also now requires inspections every two years and it's good that we did. You find little things that need to be fixed or updated. As long as you're maintaining the place, it's not bad. I feel better knowing that we're keeping things current and safe.

[Anonymous]

If you don't want to rent a non-licensed rental - ask landlord for the license. All my tenants do ask. You can also check online by the property address.

But tenants who move in without asking and then stop paying blackmailing the landlord are just as equal scumbags as the landlords who rent without a license.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not true.

Look the point of this isn’t anything other than what the headline says.

And I’m sure all the DCUM moms are now jumping up and down in joy, knowing that they don’t have to pay the rent on their illegal apartments.

Again, wrong audience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to rent a non-licensed rental - ask landlord for the license. All my tenants do ask. You can also check online by the property address.

But tenants who move in without asking and then stop paying blackmailing the landlord are just as equal scumbags as the landlords who rent without a license.

I’ve never had a tenant ask, and I’ve never had any stop paying rent. We live in different worlds, I suppose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not true.

Look the point of this isn’t anything other than what the headline says.

And I’m sure all the DCUM moms are now jumping up and down in joy, knowing that they don’t have to pay the rent on their illegal apartments.

Again, wrong audience.

That’s arrogant. There are people on here all the time seeking advice. But good reminder. Will make certain to cross-post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To summarize:

Illegal landlords can try their luck in the short term rental market. They need a license.

Renters renting from illegal landlords should in my opinion take the cue from these law-breakers and push the envelope as far as it would go. If your rental is not licensed, most likely it can’t be and for a good reason.

For the rest of you out there, pay $200 and get yourself a license, you cheapskates.

Yes, they need a license - and they can waltz right in there and get one because they’re now far easier to get than a certificate of occupancy for a long term rental. All the new law is going to do is persuade a lot of landlords on the fence - illegal long term rental, or legal arbnb rental? - to go with arbnb. And the effect will be to remove many entirely safe and comfortable units from the long term affordable housing market.

I’m perfectly comfortable with that. You, the illegal long term landlord, will now be subject to the fair market forces. The legal landlords will get on, and there will be more units that are not basements because no Airbnb. Done.

But I don’t actually care about that. I care that your renter knows their rights and possibilities if they decide to rent your illegal rental.

Right, we know. You care more about strict enforcement of draconian laws that have no relation to health or safety even if they drive up the cost of affordable housing. We get it. I suspect the many, many basement apartment renters in this city who would be forced out of where they live for no logical reason other than overly strict laws might disagree with you.

But they do have to do with health and safety. They are very very basic rules. In fact, they are a shockingly low bar. 6’4” to 7’ height. Egress. No unsafe outlets. No mold.

What’s your excuse for not getting a $200 license?

A while back a pretty smart and well written post explained how wrong you are. Yes, they ARE health and safety regulations that are part of the certificate of occupancy process, but there are also many requirements in the process that have nothing to do with health and safety. Not only that, once you apply for the certificate of occupancy you are at the whims of whichever inspector you happen to get. Some are nitpickers because they get off on the power - or want a pay off. We are talking about the DC government, remember? Once you let them in, you won’t be able to let them out.

You’re also confusing a business license with a certificate of occupancy. I do have the license, and I do report all the income and pay all the taxes. I just don’t have the certificate of occupancy. If DC ever comes after me for that, well, I’ll pay the fine and talk over with my current tenants what they want to do. I have a very strong hunch that they won’t want to move and see their place turned into an arbnb. So I’ll take my chances.

I’d love to see you try to bribe a government official. Please do. Let me get my popcorn. Maybe 20 years ago. Liar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't want to rent a non-licensed rental - ask landlord for the license. All my tenants do ask. You can also check online by the property address.

But tenants who move in without asking and then stop paying blackmailing the landlord are just as equal scumbags as the landlords who rent without a license.

Yes, sure. But plenty scumbags on here saying I don’t care I’ll take my chances. Health and safety laws are stupid and I know my rental is fine.

So it’s only fair that renters know they can say I’ll take my chances too. Only the renters would be right, given the current DC Court practice. Good luck.

Every illegal rental I find out about, I will make sure to let the renters know what they can do. If the guy calls me Bruh or tries to mansplain he’s within his rights to illegally rent, I’ll also report him.