Renters in D.C. can now see whether landlords at prospective properties have outstanding or unaddressed housing violations.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, in conjunction with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), announced Tuesday that the District is rolling out its Landlord Violations Tool. Through DCRA, renters can search a landlord’s name or property address and find any outstanding violations. The tool is available under the “Inspections and Compliance” tab on the DCRA Agency Dashboard.

“With this new, free resource, we’re arming District renters with critical information about landlords before they ever sign a lease,” said DCRA Director Ernest Chrappah in a press release. “If a landlord has several unaddressed housing violations, you may want to think twice about moving in there.”

The tool includes approximately 38,000 housing violations known to DCRA over the last three years, according to the press release. Once a landlord abates a violation, it is removed from the database.

Common housing violations include:

• Failure to correct cracked or loose plaster, holes, decayed wood, water damage/or other defective surface
• Failure to maintain windows, skylights, door or frame in sound condition, good repair and weather tight
• Failure to maintain all fire and smokestop doors in operable condition
• Failure to eliminate and repaint surfaces with peeling, flaking or chipped paint
• Failure to maintain bathtub, shower, lavatory, water closet or kitchen sink in a sanitary, safe working condition

The tool is part of DCRA’s new dashboard launched in 2019 aimed at increasing transparency of how the agency is meeting its performance goals.