WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED

• Became a central player in putting an end to the “rent concessions” scam

• Raised awareness of an issue that nobody was talking about

• Inspired an article in The City Paper that broke the "concessions" story

• Testified about "concessions" at two City Council hearings

• Helped pass a law through the City Council to reaffirm that the word “rent” in DC law has the standard dictionary definition -- i.e., the entire amount you pay as a condition of occupancy of a rental unit.

• Blew the whistle on Equity Residential, sparking an investigation by the DC Attorney General that eventually led to a $1 million penalty against the company on behalf of residents of 3003 Van Ness Street NW.

• Board members of the Van Ness South Tenants Association filed two legal challenges of the rent "concessions" scam, Gabriel Fineman vs. Smith Property Holdings LP and Harry Gural vs. Equity Residential, winning both cases on appeal before the Rental Housing Commission