EXHIBIT 23(a) CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS To the Trustees and Shareholders of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 27, 1996, which appears on page 20 of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1995. PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP Washington, D.C. March 27, 1996