Jason Russell

Let's talk about a longtime DC resident who owned a property for which she was unable to collect rent, and whether we think what she went through is just. Veronica Hegens, 59, bought a row house in DC many years ago. Smart investment, right? She lived in it for years until she decided to rent it out when she had to move in with her own father to care for him. Hegens is a retired Army major. At first, her renter, a participant in the city's voucher program, worked out fine. Most of his rent was paid by the city's taxpayers ($2,600/month). Her renter then notified her he would vacate. All good, Hegens was prepared to find another tenant. But the renter died shortly before his move-out date. Upon his unexpected death, Hegens discovered his girlfriend, who had never signed a lease, was occupying the property with no intent to leave. DC's rules for what qualifies one as a "tenant" are lax, so a person without a lease occupying the apartment gets a lot of legal considerations. The girlfriend had not paid rent for 6 months at the time local news covered Hegens' plight. When Hegens, the owner of the property, changed the locks on the property, the girlfriend took her to court and received a temporary restraining order and was able to stay in the property. Hegens fell behind on her mortgage without rental income, was coming close to foreclosure, and became less and less able to make repairs due to financial strain and the girlfriend's obstinate occupancy. Hegens had to pay for court expenses and was charged fines by the city for not keeping up with her responsibilities while the unemployed girlfriend lived in her property. There are groups that give free legal services to people like the girlfriend. In March of 2026, Hegens and the girlfriend went to mandated mediation. The mediator told the girlfriend to vacate, but with ANOTHER 4 months to find new housing. She was asked to pay minimal rent during that time (about 1/5 of what the actual tenant had paid). The girlfriend finally moved out of the unit in June— a total of 9 months of zero or minuscule rent for Hegens on the property she owns. Hegens credits local news coverage with the resolution of her case in a relatively timely manner. A local advocate for small landlords says many such cases take more than a year to reach any kind of resolution.