IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Here is contact information for the organizations you may need to contact if you need help of various sorts, including:

EQUITY RESIDENTIAL AT 3003 VAN NESS

  • Front desk: (202) 244-1010

  • Leasing office: (202) 244-3100

  • Emergency service requests: (202) 244-3100

  • Instructions for submitting service requests at MyEquityResidential

EQUITY MANAGEMENT at 3003

CITY AGENCIES

If you have a problem that can’t be resolved with Equity Residential, you can contact DC city agencies that deal with rental housing.

  • The Office of the Tenant Advocate is a city agency tasked with helping renters. The OTA has advisers and lawyers on staff who can help you understand your options. However, the it mostly provides advice and in won’t always follow your situation to resolution.

  • The DC Department of Buildings protects consumers and businesses by enforcing housing, building and safety codes, conducting inspections, levying fines, and other activities. Note that if you have a housing code violation in your apartment, you can submit a request for an inspection at the link above; this can lead to fines on Equity, which may prompt the company to fix the problem. DOB has inspected 3003 Van Ness many times at the request of the tenant association and individual tenants, fining Equity Residential on a number of occasions, including more than $1 million in 2023-2024 due to the advocacy of the tenant association. The telephone number for the DOB is (202) 671-3500.

  • The Rental Accommodations Division (RAD) oversees rent stabilization, often inaccurately called “rent control.” However, in the past, RAD has been a major part of the city’s failure to enforce rent stabilization because it for years knowingly accepted false records from landlords. When VNSTA fought Equity Residential over its practice of using “concessions” to circumvent the city’s rent stabilization law, RAD refused to help. VNSTA was forced to FOIA rent information from RAD that was supposed to be public. Good luck finding assistance here. If you want to try, the number is (202) 442-9505.

  • The Department of Housing and Community Development is the agency that oversees the Rental Accommodations Division and others dealing with rental housing. In the past, it also has refused to help tenants to fight the rent “concession” scam. The agency’s director is Colleen Green. Perhaps the DHCD will be more supportive of renters’ interests in the future. The email address for DHCD is dhcd@dc.gov. The phone number is (202) 442-7200.

DC COUNCIL

  • You can contact your city councilmembers to let them know about the situation.

    • Matt Frumin is the councilmember for Ward 3, which covers much of Northwest DC including Van Ness. The email address for his office is mfrumin@dccouncil.gov. The phone number is (202) 724-8062.

    • For faster service with Councilmember Frumin’s office, you may want to contact his constituent services director, Ashlee Mercer. Her email address is: amercer@dccouncil.gov

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION (ANC 3F)

The smallest unit of government in the District of Columbia are the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), small areas in the city which are divided into even smaller Single Member Districts representing approximately 2,000 residents.

  • Our ANC, which represents Van Ness, North Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, and Wakefield is ANC-3F. The general email address for ANC-3F commissioners is commissioners@anc3f.com.

  • Our Single Member District is ANC-3F02, represented by new commissioner (as of spring 2024) Adrian Iglesias. Alex lives at 3003 Van Ness. He can be reached via email at 3F05@anc.dc.gov. If you a complaint about local city governance — for example, problems with sidewalks, potholes, garbage, etc. — it is worthwhile to contact the ANC.

  • Courtney Carlson is the new Chairperson of ANC-3F. She has been very responsive to the needs of our community. While your first call to the ANC should go to Adrian Iglesias, if Adrian can’t help you Courtney may be able to do so. She can be reached via this email address: 3f06@anc.dc.gov

  • ANC-3F meets once a month, always by zoom, often in person as well. The calendar is at this link.

METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT — SECOND DISTRICT

To report a possible crime or other emergency, dial 911. The MPD urges residents not to be reluctant to call 911 — it would rather come to investigate and find they are not needed than not be called when their help is really needed.

3003 Van Ness is in the Second Police District. The station is on Idaho Avenue, near the intersection with Wisconsin Avenue, NW.

The phone number of the Second District station for non-emergency calls is: (202) 727-9099