Dining with Dogs

It is now legal for restaurant owners to allow patrons to bring pets into the outdoor seating areas provided certain conditions are met. Personally, I had no idea that allowing dogs in outdoor seating areas of restaurants was illegal. I have seen this, for years, all over the city, and frankly, thought nothing of it. Read more about Dining with Dogs[…]

Housing Code Violations as Consumer Fraud

On October 3, 2017, the Council enacted an amendment to the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act to allow the Attorney General to prosecute cases of consumer fraud against landlords who fail to correct housing code violations in rental units. The At-Risk Tenant Protection Clarifying Emergency Amendment Act of 2017, is intended to clarify that the Read more about Housing Code Violations as Consumer Fraud[…]

Reverse Mortgage Foreclosure Protection

Wait a minute. I thought a reverse mortgage was an arrangement where the lender pays the owner every month.  How can there be a risk of foreclosure where the owner is receiving and not paying a monthly mortgage payment? The answer is simple. In any mortgage, an owner has obligations in addition to the monthly payment, and Read more about Reverse Mortgage Foreclosure Protection[…]

Rent Concessions To Be Outlawed

*** UPDATE: As of December 14, 2017, the proposed law on discounted rent has not been moved forward by the Council and remains in committee.  However, the Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against a NW D.C. landlord, which alleges that the landlord is committing consumer fraud by offering new tenants reduced or discounted Read more about Rent Concessions To Be Outlawed[…]