One tenant who cycled through D.C. Superior Court this morning had an interesting excuse for failing to pay her rent: She didn’t understand the lease agreement.

The tenant landed in court back in March for failing to pay $7,000 in back rent to her landlord. When she finally forked over the payment, she also signed a new agreement stating that she wouldn’t be late on rent again.

She was late in June, landlord Barrington Bowen claims—and now she owes him an additional $1,150 in rent, plus fees. The landlord wasn’t happy to be involved in a second run-around. “I’m tired of chasing after this woman,” he told the court. “I’ve had it, and I want my property back.”

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: The No-Interpreter Defense Won’t Fly” »

Landlord Carlton Joseph came to court this morning in the hopes of redeeming some back rent from a tenant who wouldn’t pay up. He ended up renting out another piece of property: his cell phone.

Joseph has been trying to secure the rent from Karina Okoro, who occupies a one-bedroom unit in Joseph’s 23-unit Petworth apartment building, since November of last year. At one point, marshals arrived at the complex ready to evict Okoro, who asked for an hour to get Joseph his money. When he came to collect, she was gone.

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: Judge Asks Landlord To Borrow Cell Phone” »