I have been renting a room in a house in DC for nearly a year. When I moved into the house, I was subletting from a girl who had moved out. When I moved in, the deposit was handled in an odd manner. The landlord and the original tenant suggested that I pay the deposit amount to the original tenant and that her deposit would essentially become mine. When that lease ended, I signed on for a new lease. During the period of the new lease, two of my roommates moved out. The new tenants' deposits were handled in the same manner as mine had been; they paid the original tenants directly. I was recently accepted into graduate school and I will be moving out next month. I gave the landlord more than the required 30 days notice, per the lease, and found a new tenant who will sublease for the remaining 5 months of the lease.
My landlord is requesting a $375 "sublease fee" which I feel is excessively expensive. I do not know what is allowed in the District of Columbia, but I have seen notices that other jurisdictions do not allow sublease fees. This fee is nearly half a month's rent. Are there any specific regulations for sublease fees in DC? Can I ask him for an itemized list of the expenses that this fee will cover before agreeing to pay?
My landlord has also requested a deposit from the new tenant and has stated that he would like to hold on to my deposit until the lease ends in 5 months. I explained to him that this made me uncomfortable since it is inconsistent with the way that he has handled deposits and subleases in the past. Is he within his rights to hold on to the deposit? Is there anything that I can do to protect myself? I will at the very least ask him to put into writing that my deposit will be returned at the end of the lease.
As an aside, I just checked the DCRA registry, and my landlord is apparently not registered; I see no record of a BBL. Does this help me in any way? I know that I should report this, but I worry that it would result in my friends/roommates being left homeless.
I appreciate any and all help on this matter. Thank you very much! -K
My landlord is requesting a $375 "sublease fee" which I feel is excessively expensive. I do not know what is allowed in the District of Columbia, but I have seen notices that other jurisdictions do not allow sublease fees. This fee is nearly half a month's rent. Are there any specific regulations for sublease fees in DC? Can I ask him for an itemized list of the expenses that this fee will cover before agreeing to pay?
My landlord has also requested a deposit from the new tenant and has stated that he would like to hold on to my deposit until the lease ends in 5 months. I explained to him that this made me uncomfortable since it is inconsistent with the way that he has handled deposits and subleases in the past. Is he within his rights to hold on to the deposit? Is there anything that I can do to protect myself? I will at the very least ask him to put into writing that my deposit will be returned at the end of the lease.
As an aside, I just checked the DCRA registry, and my landlord is apparently not registered; I see no record of a BBL. Does this help me in any way? I know that I should report this, but I worry that it would result in my friends/roommates being left homeless.
I appreciate any and all help on this matter. Thank you very much! -K
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