Yesterday, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) ending up in a huge conversation about the fears, misconceptions, challenges, issues and obstacles facing DC residents who are either considering renting their basement as a rental property, buying a home with a basement apartment they plan to rent, currently renting their basement apartment (legally and illegally) and other various scenarios. The District of Columbia is filled with basement apartments and entire generations of folks have at one point or another lived underneath other people.
Many of the comments posted we hear every day and others were surprising. The conversation was good enough, we thought, to create a easy-to-find, easy-to-use site that allowed these conversations to continue. While some suggested we create a flier or a some sort of booklet, the number of various scenarios based on location within DC, age of your home, history of the unit among many others makes outreach extremely difficult. We’ll always be missing something. So tonight we’re launching this site to create a central location not only for information and tips from DCRA but also to allow residents to share stories with DCRA and others like them.
We hope this will be useful and like our other sites, we are sure this will expand beyond basement apartments eventually, but it’s a good start and a nod to you DC residents so you know we’re listening. We’ll be filling out the pages over the next few days and if you have ideas, please let us know via the comments or via email.
Thanks again.
- Mike Rupert, DCRA
I’ve been renting out my basement unit for about 15 years, but I’ve never gotten a license. If I come in to get a license, will the DC government fine me? What happens to my tenant if I can’t get a license – do I need to refund their money?
If you come in to get your license, we will not fine you. We want people to come into voluntary compliance and we can schedule an inspection very quickly. The inspection is really what we’re looking for. Ninety-five percent of the units we inspect either pass or pass right after a few minor, inexpensive changes – mainly door locks and outlets. Email me at michael.rupert(at)dc.gov and I’ll put you in contact with someone to discuss your liabilities for not being licensed in regard to the tenant both for rent and insurance.
Just how many basement apartment rental units are there in DC, anyway? I’ve never seen an estimate.
Great question Mike Licht. I’ll check tomorrow and post here.
Hey! It was so interesting to come across this post and see the way the dcracomm is interacting with people.
And also because, well, I am based in Mumbai, India, and buildings don’t have basements here
Just wanted to make a quick comment that idea is completely awesome. I had one HECK of a time trying to get a C of O for our basement apartment a couple of years ago, when we first bought our house. One of the biggest and most frustrating (okay, infuriating) challenges was that there was no place to get information on the process online or by phone, so getting answers to any questions, even the small ones, required me to take leave from work and go to DCRA, take a number, wait all day, then find out that I needed to get a different form/document etc, and do it all again. I eventially got the CofO, but probably used up at least 5 days of vacation time to do it. At least I had vacation time to take! Having information, FAQ’s and some sort of communication portal that doesn’t involve unnecessary in-person visits to DCRA will make everyone’s life easier, and DC residents happier.
Gina,
Thanks for the comments and apologize for your previous experience. We are hoping to make this process much easier and hopefully residents can share stories and ideas with each other as well. Thanks again.
And what do I do about a basement apartment that’s just a couple inches too low in the ceiling? It’s not like it’s five feet high. Am I just going to be stuck on the outside looking in never being able to legalize a well-appointed apartment my tenant loves?
Renting Basement Apartments is a good idea
Need help with drawings and help in obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy and business license send me an e-mail to cisnerosmf@aol.com.
Done this kind of work since 2006 and familiar with DC zoning and building codes.
Ms. Cisneros,
Here is the post will all of the information. http://rentmydcbasement.com/2010/06/09/dont-have-certificate-of-occupancy-were-making-the-process-easier/
You can email me anytime at michael (dot) rupert (at) dc (dot) gov. Thanks!
There should be an “Amnesty” program for landlords wishing to register their not-so-compliant basement units or condos for Rent in DC. The “Amnesty” would allow you to pay a one-time flat fee to pass/avoid inspection even if you have low ceilings or other small violations that would normally disqualify you for renting and would grandfather your rental unit into compliance and allow you to rent your basement unit if it meets 70% of the inspection checklist requirements and has no obvious or blaring safety hazards. The Height Requirement should be an “Average height” requirement for example, so that if there are a few areas where the ductwork or ceiling falls slightly below the minimum, it would not disqualify you for meeting the minimum Height for your basement unit. Also, it would allow basement units that otherwise have been rented in the past and are nicely done to be rented again in the future as grandfathered units.
Hi is it possible to rent basement n R3 zone,
What about under the premise of roommate? What distinguishes the difference, legally.