Jim McGrath, a resident of the Bay State Apartments in Dupont Circle, has been chairman of the D.C. Tenants’ Advocacy Coalition for 15 years.
How long have you been a tenant?
I’m a tenant, always been a tenant, my whole life a tenant.
Why haven’t you bought?
I started out in the city as a tenant, it was just convenient. It’s nice to own a piece of the rock but I have so many other things. I have the benefits of rent control and it’s a very big deal. It’s one of the reasons I believe in it so strongly.
Have you ever rented from a slumlord?
When I was a kid and my family rented in the South End of Boston, we were very poor. We lived in a cold-water flat, which I think probably counted as slumlordism. It’s one of the reasons I have great sympathy for tenants, particular the old, the elderly and the infirm.
What are the biggest issues facing D.C.’s tenants?
There’s a whole galaxy of them. I would say the worst outrage is the condominium conversion craze. They’re killing all of the rent control housing in the city, and they’re doing it to kill rent control. It’s as simple as that. We’re losing them all over the place.
What’s a tougher battle: Condo conversions or slumlords?
One is acute and the other is chronic. Slumlordism is an acute problem. If you’re in a slumlord building, you’re in a survival situation. Somebody could die. Conversion is slower death. You’re being squeezed to death economically.
Why is a tenant association so important?
We feel that a rental building without a tenant association is a sitting duck. Sooner or later you’re going to have problems with management. If you try dealing with them one on one, the odds are you’re going to get nowhere, but if you have a tenant association, they have to listen to you.
You’ll help set up an association?
We spring to action immediately. That’s my specialty. I’ve helped create tenant associations all over the city.
