In August, we reported that the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) had levied $1,218,612 in fines on Equity Residential for almost 750 violations at 3003 Van Ness over the past three years. Updated data, which shows far less in fines, is now available.

The information was retrieved from the DOB’s SCOUT online data system and Landlord Violations Tool.

The fines were the result of the DOB’s "proactive inspection" of 3003 Van Ness, which was supposed to inspect the entire building. Sixteen months later, only a portion of the building has been inspected, but the exact percentage isn’t known.

It also isn’t clear that any of the $1.2 million in fines has been paid to date.

However, review of Department of Buildings online data for 3003 Van Ness as of Dec. 11th, 2024, shows that the amount has been lowered by more than $1 million to $164,492. It appears that the reason that the amount has dropped so precipitously is that, according to DOB, Equity Residential has fixed the violations that had been cited.

If that is correct, it means that Equity Residential will have paid little or nothing in fines for widespread violations of the housing code.

Moreover, it isn’t clear if Equity Residential has fixed housing code violations in the units that were not inspected by the Department of Buildings.

The Van Ness South Tenants Association will seek clarification from the Department of Buildings about its policy about housing code violations and fines.

Residents of 3003 Van Ness who want to find out if there are any outstanding fines for violations in their units can view the PDF file above or the identical Excel file below.

Download an easier-to-read Excel version of the current fines