Testimony: Improving Housing Conditions and Strengthening Landlord Accountability in the District

Policy Attorney Carrie Tirrell testified before the Committee on Housing at the public roundtable on Improving Housing Conditions and Strengthening Landlord Accountability in the District.

Children’s Law Center testimony a number of key recommendations to improve housing conditions and strengthen landlord accountability: (1) DOB should expand targeted use of the nuisance abatement fund to increase the timely correction of serious housing code violations in District rental housing; (2) Beneficial ownership data must include a natural person, be clear, accurate, and easy to access; (3) All District agencies involved in healthy housing enforcement11 must be more transparent; (4) Expectations for landlords must be clear and realistic; (5) For effective deterrence, landlords must be forced to take appropriate and timely corrective actions and pay fines and penalties; (6) Proactive inspections must prioritize the worst landlords; (7) Increased interagency coordination is necessary to meaningfully improve housing conditions in the district; and (8) District agencies involved in healthy housing enforcement must provide more educational outreach and technical assistance for both landlords and tenants.