College students living off campus are being urged by the D.C. government to protect themselves from unscrupulous landlords and report hazardous conditions in their homes before the situation grows dangerous — or even deadly.

Thousands of students are rolling into town, and 10,000 or more will opt for off-campus living, according to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. DCRA, which licenses landlords and inspects all college housing, is pushing its anti-slumlord campaign to help students avoid bad leases and perilous conditions, and to provide an outlet for complaints.