My new neighbor is renting for the first time.

Even though we are in two different generations — I always enjoy seeing her and hearing about her world. Like many in her age group, she enjoys eating out — and is a regular with her own table at a nearby restaurant.

She is always busy, and is never without an adventure to share. A play or movie she has seen or a lecture she has heard. And her biggest adventure is yet to come…an African safari this fall!

But she is not who you think she is. She is not a millennial, not even close. She is a DC senior — and well north of my 65 —  who swapped her DC house for an apartment on Connecticut Avenue.

And you can be a renter too!

As a long-time renter and member of Iona’s Citizens Advisory Group (listed third here) I’ve gathered these resources to help current or new DC renters. Take a look below:

First, did you know that DC has an agency just for you?

The Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA)
The Reeves Center
2000 14^th Street, NW  Suite 300 North
Washington, DC  20009
(202) 719-6560
https://ota.dc.gov/ 

• Attend a free OTA renter’s rights workshop on Wednesday, August 30 from 6-8 PM. Call or e-mail delores.anderson@dc.gov to register.
• Make an appointment with an OTA case manager for a free lease review or get help with your rental housing questions.

Online DC Renter Handbook

Can’t make it to the OTA renters rights workshop or Summit? You can learn about your renter’s rights in the convenience of your home.

The Coalition for Non-Profit Housing has an online copy of the 2013 Washington DC Tenant Survival Guide, Eighth Edition for download. Access it here.

The Guide includes easy-to-understand sections on your renter legal rights including leases, security deposits, evictions, housing code standards, repairs and renter resources.

High-Rise Life Column in the Forest Hills Connection e-magazine

Read about living in multi-unit housing. Articles cover everything from the latest news to how-to make a balcony garden or live with pets in a high-rise building. Visit here to read the High-Rise Life Column.

Do you have other valuable renting resources? Let us know in the comments!

By Barbara B. Cline

Barbara B. Cline, CPA, is a former auditor and non-profit executive. She is a SERVEDC Commissioner, where she works on the emergency planning task force. She lives with her husband, who has some physical challenges, in an apartment in NW, DC.  Barbara is a fair housing and disability rights advocate and writes articles on housing issues — including rent-control, an often unknown and misunderstood type of affordable DC housing, for both Iona and the Forest Hills Connection.