The Washington Sun: It’s 2026. Do You Know Who Your Landlord Is?

Metro Reporter Zara Norman of The Washington Sun examines how difficult it can be to identify the individuals who ultimately own rental properties in DC, particularly when properties are held through layers of LLCs and other business entities. Housing advocates argue that the lack of transparency makes it harder for DC agencies to enforce housing codes, identify patterns across a landlord’s properties, collect outstanding fines and determine whether property owners doing business with the city meet “clean hands” requirements.

Makenna Osborn, senior attorney at Children’s Law Center, argues that greater transparency about landlords’ full property portfolios could help the District identify problematic practices across multiple buildings and target housing-code enforcement more effectively. She also points to shortcomings in coordination across DC agencies and expresses hope that growing attention to the issue will lead to a more collaborative government response.