5th Street NW, Washington, DC - Safe for rental? (apartment, houses)

[place_to_live]

My brother is looking to rent an apartment on 5th Street NW, Washington, DC.(Walking distance to Georgia/Petworth metro)
Is this a safe area?
He will be taking the metro to school.
We are from India.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

[saxman930]

where is going to school? I ask because Petworth is on the green and none of the BIG FOUR - AU, Gtown, GWU, Catholic are not on those lines, Howard though is, and that neighborhood you can find steals in and closer to downtown its called Shaw, and petworth is ok if you have street smarts, but if he goes to AU there are alot of group houses he could find for pretty cheap really close to the school

[stateofnature]

Petworth isn't that dangerous by DC standards but it definitely has its share of crime. I would not recommend it to someone who is new to the US.