Or there are “cases where the owner of a historically designated property has failed to make certain repairs,” as a recent D.C. Council report notes. Now, in a crackdown on neglectful landlords, the council has extended that lien authority to the city’s Office of the Tenant Advocate, or OTA. “They’ve never before had lien authority over property owners,” said council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1). “But they also, for years, have been managing the emergency housing assistance fund that we pay for out of our tax dollars. The OTA “partners with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to coordinate efforts to protect District tenants,” including providing emergency housing.

Source: Washington Post November 25, 2016 23:52 UTC