After a major fire gutted a large apartment building in my neighborhood in March, leaving several hundred people homeless, it's good to hear that D.C. is planning a crackdown on absentee landlords. The building that burnt down, 3145 Mt. Pleasant Street, had a long history of neglect and safety problems. And because of the rapid pace of gentrification in the District, some landlords have purposefully allowed their buildings to fall into disrepair -- hoping that living without heat, electricity, or enduring a rodent infestation will force low-income tenants out, allowing property owners to refurbish buildings as condominiums. Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced that the city will inspect rental buildings with three or more units at least once every four years. There are 11,000 such buildings in the city. It's a good first step, but many rentals will be overlooked under this plan. "English basement" apartments on the lowest level of row houses are very common in D.C., and while many of these units are renovated and well-kept, others are in basements of decrepit houses whose upper floors are sometimes unoccupied or in disrepair. Those tenants need support, as do those who rent rooms in former single-family homes. Technically, such "group houses" are classified as one unit, but in actuality, the tenants are often unrelated to one another and have individual leases, which gives disproportionate power to the landlord. So to the extent that staffing allows, D.C. should be inspecting these types of rental units as well -- especially if there have been complaints. --Dana Goldstein
