Vacancy, Rental Inspections Tighten in Georgetown

The white car with the red-and-white District flag on its side pulls up to the curb. A man with a clipboard gets out, stares at a house or a commercial building, makes some notes, then goes up to the front door and knocks. If there is no answer, or if there isn’t a knowledgeable neighbor nearby, there could be trouble for the property owner. 

An official Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs inspector has just come to call, responding to a tip or a complaint that the property is vacant or being rented without a license. Even if there is no sign of neglect or blight, a letter will follow. 

“That letter is to be taken seriously,” a friendly inspector (who asked not to be identified) told me after he knocked on my neighbor’s door on a Georgetown residential block recently. If there is no response to the inspector’s inquiry, the next step could be a bright yellow sign … and then a possible four-figure fine and an increase in the property tax.

“Last year the D.C. Council passed a law changing the burden of explanation for a complaint onto the property owners,” the inspector said. “We’ll come out and take a preliminary look. If the house looks empty and we don’t see signs of workmen or residency, we’ll send a letter to the property owner on file asking about the situation. The owner has 10 days from receipt of the letter to respond.”

 “The District is much more aggressive now about inspections for vacancies, illegal rentals, blight and neglect,” said Jamie Scott, economic development manager at the Georgetown Business Improvement District. “The yellow signs are highly visible and becoming ubiquitous. While we welcome keeping standards of occupancy and building conditions high, we are concerned that increasing number of such signs in one area look bad. And some are not correct. Some properties have been tagged as abandoned when there is obvious construction going on. And there are a couple of individuals whose passion is to drive around town and complain about what they feel to be vacant property even though they are not.”

“We make mistakes but we do respond to anonymous calls,” said the inspector, who has been on the job for more than 30 years and “seen it all.” And, yes, “there are a couple of known individuals who maybe should get a life outside of telling us almost daily of alleged abandoned properties.” 

There are many reasons a property might look abandoned. Here in Georgetown especially, some owners take long trips or live abroad for a while and don’t rent their homes. Or, as in the example of my neighbor, the house is a second home used irregularly by family members.  

As for renting out a private home, the short-term rental of parts of a home or even a room or two as an Airbnb, for instance, isn’t illegal, the inspector said. “It just has to be licensed. If an owner wants to rent for money, apply for a business license. It might cost $300, but that’s better than facing a possible four-figure fine. We’re ready to work with owners if they answer our letter of inquiry.”

“We’re willing to work with the DC&RA if they’ll respond to our concerns,” said Scott. 

Sounds like a winner.

“What we don’t do, however, is get into domestic or neighborhood disputes,” the inspector said with a sigh. “Don’t complain to us about a neighbor’s noise or garbage bin placements or the like. We’re just concerned about legal usage of the property by the owner.”