On May 12, Daro notified the tenants of the building that they had filed a hardship rental increase petition (also known as a Hardship Petition). RIGTA intends to exercise our rights to review and, if necessary, contest the petition.
According to a representative from the Office of the Rental Administrator, the petition has not yet been completed. As such, the Office cannot review the petition, nor can it release it to us. RIGTA will remain in constant contact with the Office to ensure that we receive a copy of the petition in a timely fashion.
Also according to that same representative, Daro is requesting a 16% increase in the rent for each unit in the building. For a tenant in a one-bedroom paying $800 a month, that would mean an adjustment of $128, to $928 per month.
RIGTA is in the process of gathering the signatures of residents on a statement allowing us to represent the building as a whole. Technically, this requires the consent of a simple majority of the tenants, though we hope to garner as much support as we can. We hope to complete this process by the end of next week.
We are also in the process of retaining pro-bono legal counsel or, failing that, having our position and strategy reviewed by a volunteer from the DC Bar Association.
RIGTA will distribute more information about the petition and the review process as it becomes available. Meanwhile, please contact us at rigtenants@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Bylaws Accepted at General Meeting
RIGTA's members approved the bylaws of the Association last night, May 15, 2008, at during a general meeting. The required 10 percent quorum was reached and the vote as recorded was 15 votes for, 0 against, 0 abstentions. No amendments were proposed.
The bylaws came into effect immediately, and will remain in effect until the membership sees fit to amend or redact them.
The bylaws came into effect immediately, and will remain in effect until the membership sees fit to amend or redact them.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Members to Vote on Draft Bylaws
RIGTA is holding a vote on the proposed bylaws for the Association on Thursday, May 15 at 7:00pm. If you haven't received a copy of the bylaws and would like to review them, please contact us at RIGtenants@gmail.com.
Here's a copy of the draft bylaws as they were approved by the Board in March:
ARTICLE I – NAME AND ADDRESS:
The Association shall be known as Rhode Island Gardens Tenants' Association
Address of Association: c/o Juanita Moore, 230 Rhode Island Ave NE, Apt. 302, Washington, D.C. 20002
Adopted (date)
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Association is to promote the interests of and help provide safe and habitable living conditions for residents of the building, to ascertain that the building is properly maintained and in accordance with housing code regulations, to insure that rents and rent increases are accurate and assessed in accordance with the District’s rent control law, and to resolve, if possible, landlord-tenant impasses within the building. Other purposes include:
Insure protection and exercise of tenant rights guaranteed under District of Columbia rental housing law, including negotiation, litigation, or settlement of any issue;
Exercise options to purchase, lease, manage, sell or convert rental property;
Retain legal counsel;
Other legal purposes allowed under nonprofit corporation law of the District of Columbia.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Association shall have members, which shall be the lease holder of each participating apartment.
The Association shall consist of two classes of members: General Membership and the members of the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected from the General Membership of the Association, and shall retain all the rights of General Members, including the right to vote at meetings.
All participating members shall have the right to vote; this right shall be limited to one vote per apartment. The Board of Directors shall act as the executive body of the Association having been authorized by a majority vote of the Membership to act on their behalf. This includes but is not limited to negotiations with the Building’s management company, retention of legal counsel, and other duties as specified in article three. All books and records of a corporation may be inspected by any member having voting rights, or his agent or attorney, for any proper purpose at any reasonable time.
Membership shall be attained by (a) signing the Membership Registry and (b) payment of annual dues as specified by the bylaws of the Association.
Revocation of any membership from the Association shall be conducted by motion of the board and majority vote by a quorum of 33 percent of the General Membership of the Association.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Officers and Board of Directors Qualifications. The Board of Directors shall consist of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At-Large. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected from the General Membership of the Association, and shall retain all the rights of General Members, including the right to vote at meetings.
Election and Terms. Directors shall be elected at a general election which shall be open to all members and requiring a quorum of 10 percent of General Membership. The terms in office of the directors shall be limited to two years, with no limit on the number of terms served.
Resignation. A board member may resign by giving written notice to the Board of Directors. The Board shall then announce the vacancy and call an election within 30 days.
Vacancy. Board member vacancies will be filled by special election set by the Board of Directors. The board shall have five directors. Members of the Association may remove a director by a two-thirds vote of voting members present at a membership meeting, provided they reach a quorum of 10 percent of the total membership of the Association. Issues, questions, or controversies brought before the board or membership will be voted on, with a simple majority determining their resolution.
Duties of Board Members:
Chairperson. The Chairperson is the chief executive officer of the Association. The Chairperson presides at meetings of the Membership and the Board.
Vice Chairperson. The Vice Chairperson votes in Board elections and serves in absence of the Chairperson.
Secretary. The duties of the Secretary are to:
1. Maintain a membership roster and notify members of Association meetings;
2. Record minutes of Association and Board meetings;
3. Maintain Association records; and
4. File a bi-annual incorporation renewal form (pursuant to notification sent by District government), and pay two-year incorporation renewal fee ($70.00
Treasurer. The Treasurer will deposit all monies received by the Association from dues or any other source in a bank account opened and maintained by the Association, and handle Association financial matters in general
Member At-Large. The Member At-Large will represent the General Membership in all votes by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS:
The Association will hold regular meetings, the frequency of which shall be determined by the Board of Directors. (Emergency meetings may be called as needed.) Other provisions governing meetings are as follows:
Meetings of the Association may be called by the Chair or Vice-chair of the Board of Directors. Members of the Association will be given timely notice of Association meetings, including location, date, and time;
Voting at general meetings of the Association shall depend on the establishment of a quorum of 10 percent of the General Membership at the time of the vote. Voting in Elections to the Board of Directors also requires a quorum of 10 percent of the General Membership. Voting by the Board of Directors requires all members of the Board participate in the vote.
Officers and board members may be removed by vote of two-thirds of those present and voting at a regularly called meeting;
These bylaws may be adopted by a simple majority of those present and voting at a regularly called meeting;
Amendments to these bylaws shall require a motion of the General Membership and an affirmative vote by a simple majority of the Membership, having attained a quorum of 33 percent of the General Membership.
In the event of dissolution of the Association, which shall be achieved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the General Membership, any remaining assets shall be divided equally among the General Membership. The Board of Directors shall file Articles of Dissolution pursuant to DC ST 1981 § 29-552.
ARTICLE VI – DUES:
The dues for the Association shall be set at $5 per participating apartment per year. No fewer than two members of the Association, including at least one Board Member, must be present while collecting dues. The dues-collection process shall not be considered complete until the paying member has filled out and signed a membership form and received a receipt. After each occasion that dues are collected, both members will conduct an independent count of the funds collected, and will confirm the count with their signature.
ARTICLE VII – TREASURY:
Membership dues, and all other contributions received by the Association from whatever source, will be deposited in an Association bank account, which will comprise the Association’s treasury.
Funds shall not be used without express authorization of the Board of Directors, which shall be represented by the dual signatures of the Chair and the Treasurer. The Vice-chair may also sign in the absence of the Chair.
The Treasurer and Chair of the Board of Directors will conduct a monthly review of the Association's bank statement to compare it against the records that are maintained by the treasurer. This review will be made available to the rest of the Board of Directors for further consideration.
The Treasurer, with the rest of the Board, will prepare a quarterly statement to the General Membership of the Association detailing the state of the Association's treasury and the use of any funds during the reporting period.
Here's a copy of the draft bylaws as they were approved by the Board in March:
ARTICLE I – NAME AND ADDRESS:
The Association shall be known as Rhode Island Gardens Tenants' Association
Address of Association: c/o Juanita Moore, 230 Rhode Island Ave NE, Apt. 302, Washington, D.C. 20002
Adopted (date)
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Association is to promote the interests of and help provide safe and habitable living conditions for residents of the building, to ascertain that the building is properly maintained and in accordance with housing code regulations, to insure that rents and rent increases are accurate and assessed in accordance with the District’s rent control law, and to resolve, if possible, landlord-tenant impasses within the building. Other purposes include:
Insure protection and exercise of tenant rights guaranteed under District of Columbia rental housing law, including negotiation, litigation, or settlement of any issue;
Exercise options to purchase, lease, manage, sell or convert rental property;
Retain legal counsel;
Other legal purposes allowed under nonprofit corporation law of the District of Columbia.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Association shall have members, which shall be the lease holder of each participating apartment.
The Association shall consist of two classes of members: General Membership and the members of the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected from the General Membership of the Association, and shall retain all the rights of General Members, including the right to vote at meetings.
All participating members shall have the right to vote; this right shall be limited to one vote per apartment. The Board of Directors shall act as the executive body of the Association having been authorized by a majority vote of the Membership to act on their behalf. This includes but is not limited to negotiations with the Building’s management company, retention of legal counsel, and other duties as specified in article three. All books and records of a corporation may be inspected by any member having voting rights, or his agent or attorney, for any proper purpose at any reasonable time.
Membership shall be attained by (a) signing the Membership Registry and (b) payment of annual dues as specified by the bylaws of the Association.
Revocation of any membership from the Association shall be conducted by motion of the board and majority vote by a quorum of 33 percent of the General Membership of the Association.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Officers and Board of Directors Qualifications. The Board of Directors shall consist of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member At-Large. Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected from the General Membership of the Association, and shall retain all the rights of General Members, including the right to vote at meetings.
Election and Terms. Directors shall be elected at a general election which shall be open to all members and requiring a quorum of 10 percent of General Membership. The terms in office of the directors shall be limited to two years, with no limit on the number of terms served.
Resignation. A board member may resign by giving written notice to the Board of Directors. The Board shall then announce the vacancy and call an election within 30 days.
Vacancy. Board member vacancies will be filled by special election set by the Board of Directors. The board shall have five directors. Members of the Association may remove a director by a two-thirds vote of voting members present at a membership meeting, provided they reach a quorum of 10 percent of the total membership of the Association. Issues, questions, or controversies brought before the board or membership will be voted on, with a simple majority determining their resolution.
Duties of Board Members:
Chairperson. The Chairperson is the chief executive officer of the Association. The Chairperson presides at meetings of the Membership and the Board.
Vice Chairperson. The Vice Chairperson votes in Board elections and serves in absence of the Chairperson.
Secretary. The duties of the Secretary are to:
1. Maintain a membership roster and notify members of Association meetings;
2. Record minutes of Association and Board meetings;
3. Maintain Association records; and
4. File a bi-annual incorporation renewal form (pursuant to notification sent by District government), and pay two-year incorporation renewal fee ($70.00
Treasurer. The Treasurer will deposit all monies received by the Association from dues or any other source in a bank account opened and maintained by the Association, and handle Association financial matters in general
Member At-Large. The Member At-Large will represent the General Membership in all votes by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS:
The Association will hold regular meetings, the frequency of which shall be determined by the Board of Directors. (Emergency meetings may be called as needed.) Other provisions governing meetings are as follows:
Meetings of the Association may be called by the Chair or Vice-chair of the Board of Directors. Members of the Association will be given timely notice of Association meetings, including location, date, and time;
Voting at general meetings of the Association shall depend on the establishment of a quorum of 10 percent of the General Membership at the time of the vote. Voting in Elections to the Board of Directors also requires a quorum of 10 percent of the General Membership. Voting by the Board of Directors requires all members of the Board participate in the vote.
Officers and board members may be removed by vote of two-thirds of those present and voting at a regularly called meeting;
These bylaws may be adopted by a simple majority of those present and voting at a regularly called meeting;
Amendments to these bylaws shall require a motion of the General Membership and an affirmative vote by a simple majority of the Membership, having attained a quorum of 33 percent of the General Membership.
In the event of dissolution of the Association, which shall be achieved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the General Membership, any remaining assets shall be divided equally among the General Membership. The Board of Directors shall file Articles of Dissolution pursuant to DC ST 1981 § 29-552.
ARTICLE VI – DUES:
The dues for the Association shall be set at $5 per participating apartment per year. No fewer than two members of the Association, including at least one Board Member, must be present while collecting dues. The dues-collection process shall not be considered complete until the paying member has filled out and signed a membership form and received a receipt. After each occasion that dues are collected, both members will conduct an independent count of the funds collected, and will confirm the count with their signature.
ARTICLE VII – TREASURY:
Membership dues, and all other contributions received by the Association from whatever source, will be deposited in an Association bank account, which will comprise the Association’s treasury.
Funds shall not be used without express authorization of the Board of Directors, which shall be represented by the dual signatures of the Chair and the Treasurer. The Vice-chair may also sign in the absence of the Chair.
The Treasurer and Chair of the Board of Directors will conduct a monthly review of the Association's bank statement to compare it against the records that are maintained by the treasurer. This review will be made available to the rest of the Board of Directors for further consideration.
The Treasurer, with the rest of the Board, will prepare a quarterly statement to the General Membership of the Association detailing the state of the Association's treasury and the use of any funds during the reporting period.
We're Incorporated!
The Rhode Island Gardens Tenants' Association has officially incorporated as a Non-Profit Corporation in the District of Columbia! This provides us with certain explicit legal rights regarding the building, including but not limited to the right of first refusal (ie the right to make an offer on the building should DARO decide to sell to a developer).
Hopefully it will also help the building management take us a little bit more seriously, though I have my doubts. Honestly, however, they still have to take action on any housing code violations that we report. If they don't take us seriously enough to do that, I don't think we can be held at fault for reporting the situation to the DCRA or the Office of the Tenant Advocate. Either way, the problem will get solved, so I don't think we need to concern ourselves too much over whether DARO likes us or not.
Hopefully it will also help the building management take us a little bit more seriously, though I have my doubts. Honestly, however, they still have to take action on any housing code violations that we report. If they don't take us seriously enough to do that, I don't think we can be held at fault for reporting the situation to the DCRA or the Office of the Tenant Advocate. Either way, the problem will get solved, so I don't think we need to concern ourselves too much over whether DARO likes us or not.
Monday, February 25, 2008
No More Pit Bull
I got a message from Daro (incidentally, on my personal email account, despite having sent them a letter from the official address, see below) informing me that animal control has removed the pit bull from the premesis. At least that's one issue resolved...
Dealing with Building Management
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com
I'm sure this varies from building to building, but in establishing our Tenants' Association at Rhode Island Gardens, we've noticed a good deal of reluctance, to put it mildly, on the part of the building's management to deal with us. In fact, at the first meeting we had with the building manager and the head of operations, we were told in no uncertain terms that the management company had "no obligation to deal with us as an association."
It seems odd to me that we met that sort of resistance, especially as we were proposing a number of services that would, essentially, ease the burden of building management and make the property more attractive to prospective tenants. After all, what sort of building would you rather move into: one with an active tenants' association that would support your rights and provide a welcoming environment, or one with a lethargic community where each resident was left to his own devices?
Furthermore, it's not like we're trying to get their license revoked. In fact, we're reminding them of violations to the law that might have gone unnoticed. That is, until the building inspector shows up... then they'd really be in trouble. So, in a way, we're actually helping them maintain their control of the building.
It seemed to me that the tenants' association was adding an intrinsic value to the building that would cost the management company absolutley nothing, but I guess there's a certain difference of opinion there.
Also, as a matter of practice, it seems like the management is unwilling to respond to requests from the TA's official email address (although they're perfectly happy to answer emails from my personal address, even when it's clear that they're dealing with me as chair of the TA).
In an environment where dialogue would seem to be the best option for all parties, it's really striking (although I suppose not entirely unforeseen) to be met with such stubborn and blind opposition.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Robberies with Pit Bull Reported in Building
There have been several recent reports of robberies in the building by one or more young men using a pit bull as a weapon. At least one resident also reported that these young men may be new residents of the building.
The Tenants' Association is doing its best to keep Daro aware of these issues and will post further news about this matter as it comes up. In the meantime, be careful when entering and leaving the building, and be aware of your surroundings at all times.
The Tenants' Association is doing its best to keep Daro aware of these issues and will post further news about this matter as it comes up. In the meantime, be careful when entering and leaving the building, and be aware of your surroundings at all times.
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