Because of Equity’s deception, tenants signed lease agreements expecting to have stable rent in subsequent years when in fact Equity often imposed significant rent increases, depriving tenants of the stable and predictable rent they deserved. Leasing agents also told prospective tenants that the apartments were rent controlled and assured them that any rent increases would be within the limits permitted under DC’s rent-control law. When the company did add details, they made it almost impossible to read or find within the apartment’s advertisements. For a while, Equity entirely omitted any indication about its use of concessions on the website. Equity misrepresented or omitted critical information about the accurate monthly rent that would the form the basis of lease renewals. “This is one of the more predatory practices I’ve seen and trapped a lot of people with nowhere to go into impossible financial situations.”įollowing a two-week bench trial, the Court found that Equity’s deceptive leasing practices violated the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act. “My wife and I were just starting our careers at the time and were thinking about starting a family, so these unpredictable rent increases were particularly anxiety provoking,” said Josh Sanderlin, a former 3003 Van Ness resident. I’m glad it’s over and am grateful to AG Racine for his persistence and commitment to holding Equity accountable.” I felt completely trapped and Equity was unsympathetic and unwilling to negotiate. “Waiting to hear what kind of unreasonable rent increase I’d be subject to and whether I’d be able to afford it was a constant source of anxiety. “This was a clear bait-and-switch,” said Amy Shavelson, a four-year resident of 3003 Van Ness. The Attorney General bringing suit forced other major landlords to abandon this method of overcharging tenants, saving renters across the District millions of dollars and sending a clear message to other entities who might engage in similar behavior.” “ This scam traumatized many of our residents, and he came to the rescue when few others even had the courage to call out this illegal behavior. “We are grateful to AG Racine for standing up for renters and for having the skill and determination to win in court,” said Harry Gural, President of the Van Ness Tenants Association. Because of OAG’s lawsuit, Equity now must pay back their tenants for the amount they were overcharged and pay back the District for costs associated with the legal proceedings. In some cases, this led resident’s rental costs to increase by thousands of dollars per month, in a building that was and is rent controlled. Then, at lease renewal, Equity would notify tenants that their rent was increasing based on the actual rent in the lease rather than the discounted rate that had been advertised and which the tenants were paying. The court order concludes a lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in 2017 alleging that, for years, Equity misled and deceived tenants by leasing apartments using an advertised monthly rent that included a discount that was never disclosed. We will continue to hold accountable landlords that prey on residents’ need to find affordable housing.” “Residents were forced to choose between paying an unaffordable, unpredictable amount in rent, or leaving their homes. In fact, at every step in the rental process, from online advertisements to apartment searches, tours, and applications, Equity misled prospective tenants, ultimately placing them in an impossible financial situation,” said AG Racine. The majority of landlords treat their tenants fairly and consistent with the law. “Every District resident should have access to stable, affordable housing. Racine today announced that Equity Residential Management, LLC, which manages the apartment complex at 3003 Van Ness in Northwest DC, is paying nearly $2 million to tenants and the District for lying to prospective residents about apartment rental costs and then illegally raising their rents by up to thousands of dollars with almost no notice or warning.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |