Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in District of Columbia

landlord/tenant

I rent an apartment as well as a parking space. My building management company erroneously had my vehicle ticketed and towed from the property. (Ticket sites it was parked on private property... I am a resident of the property who has been paying to park their for nearly 2 years.) I incurred $185 in fees as a result of this and since my parking permit was in fact properly displayed in my vehicle, there is no reason it should have been ticketed or towed. I plan to include copies of the ticket, towing payment receipt, and my parking permit, as well as a letter explaining why those fees have been deducted from my rent before I paid it. It is my belief that the building is responsible for the mistake and thus the fees. If I withhold a portion of my rent for this reason, can my building evict me? What are my options and what are the possible repercutions?


Asked on 5/01/08, 3:32 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Paula McGill Attorney at Law

Re: landlord/tenant

Withholding rent is probably not a good idea. Taking them to small claims court may be a better option because it will cost them more than $185 to hire an attorney to defend the matter. (I assume they are a corporation or LLC, so they'll have to spend money on an attorney).

It may be better for them to reimburse you for $185 versus paying $300+ for an attorney and risk losing in court anyway. You should write them a letter (certified mail/return receipt) regarding your attempt to resolve the matter and place a specific time frame to respond to your demand (no more than two weeks).

This response does not create an attorney client relationship, and is provided for informational purposes only.

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Answered on 5/02/08, 11:33 am


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