Landlords and building owners engaging in unethical, possibly illegal activities to evict tenants? Never!

Well, that may been the case in four buildings in the District, and one member of the D.C. City Council is itching to found out the who, the why, the when, and the how come. Council-member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) has announced that his Comittee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will hold a hearing on December 21 to find out if the owners and landlords controlling 111 units in four buildings too liberally interpreted or abused a city law that allows them to vacate buildings for safety concerns. The Post notes that the landlords and owners in question gave the tenants 120 days to move and offered them $1000 to do so. According to Graham, the residents of those units were not informed that they had the right to return, which is explicitly noted in District law.

The buildings in question are located at 1840 Vernon Street, NW; 1846 Vernon Street, NW; 1433 T Street, NW; and 201-213 16th Street, NE.

Picture snapped by ohad.