FOR RESEARCHERS
The use of “rent concessions” in Washington, D.C.’s rent-stabilized housing raises questions that extend far beyond a single landlord, tenant, or apartment building.
Legal scholars, economists, business-school researchers, housing-policy experts, and students of public administration may find a rich case study in the litigation and records collected on this site. The issues touch on rent stabilization, regulatory design and enforcement, administrative law, corporate incentives, access to justice, tenant organizing, and the balance of power between large institutional landlords and individual tenants.
The extensive public record also makes it possible to examine a broader question: How well do laws designed to protect tenants work in practice when enforcement depends heavily on individual tenants recognizing violations and pursuing lengthy administrative litigation?
THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Documents secured via FOIA reveal that Equity Residential likely has been inflating the rents it files with the DC Rental Accommodations Division, which then are used as the basis for rent increases. Three FOIA requests reveal that 1) Equity has been reporting implausibly high rents since for its apartments at 3003 Van Ness Street for many years 2) Equity Residential has been doing the same thing for six other properties 3) Equity Residential continued reporting these suspiciously high rents even after the Rental Housing Commission ruled that this practice is illegal in Gabriel Fineman vs. Smith Property Holdings LP.
2017- FOIA-00710: Rent filings by Equity Residential for 3003 Van Ness (2006-2016)
Requested November 17, 2016
The files are large so they have been split into separate PDF documents
These documents suggest that Equity Residential has been systematically inflating rent filings for years and has likely used those inflated filings to impose rent increases that exceed those permitted under DC law.
2017-FOIA-03141: Rent filings by Equity Residential for six additional rent-stabilized buildings
Requested April 14, 2017
Rent filings for 1500 Massachusetts Avenue, Connecticut Heights (4850 Connecticut Avenue), The Calvert-Woodley (2601 Woodley Place), Alban Towers (3700 Massachusetts Avenue), Corcoran House Apartments (1616 18th Street), Cleveland House Apartments (2727 29th Street)
These documents suggest that Equity inflates rent filings in its other rent-stabilized buildings.
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part one
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part two
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part three
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part four
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part five
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part six
2017-FOIA-03141 of other Equity Residential buildings — part seven
2019-FOIA-02614: Rent filings by Equity Residential for 2018 for seven rent-stabilized buildings
Requested January 31, 2019
Rent filings for the period after the Rental Housing Commission decision in Gabriel Fineman vs. Smith Property Holdings
2018 rent filings for 1500 Massachusetts Avenue, Connecticut Heights (4850 Connecticut Avenue), The Calvert-Woodley (2601 Woodley Place), Alban Towers (3700 Massachusetts Avenue), Corcoran House Apartments (1616 18th Street), Cleveland House Apartments (2727 29th Street)
These documents show that Equity Residential continued to file implausibly high “rents charged” even in the period after the RHC ruling.
MORE COMING SOON…