An investigation by The Washington Post recently found that residents of the upscale apartment building the Flats at Dupont, located in Dupont Circle. The building, like 3003 Van Ness, is owned and managed by Equity Residential.

Residents of 3003 Van Ness also have complained for many months about mice and rats at 3003 Van Ness, claiming that Equity Residential has failed to fix the problem, both in apartments and in some common areas, particularly the storage room.

The Post writes about the Flats at Dupont:

“One woman says she goes to bed armed with a stick in case a rat creeps too close in the dark. Another says she goes to the bathroom with an empty water bottle to throw at rats. Others say they have come back from vacation to find their floors covered in rodent feces.”

“Dozens of residents argue that management has ignored their pleas for help and requests for rent relief. Breaking a long-term lease with Equity is costly, leaving some feeling stuck. When their emails go unanswered, residents feel that management is minimizing the issue or making it appear that a problem has already been solved, they said.”

The Washington Post investigation raises questions about whether Equity Residential’s failure to deal with rodent infestations is an isolated issue, or if it has decided that remediation is not part of its corporate strategy.

Some former residents of 3003 Van Ness have said that they moved out of the building specifically because Equity did not fix chronic rodent problems in their units.

The DC Department of Buildings is currently conducting a full-building inspection of 3003 Van Ness, which has turned up many dozens of housing code violations, with fines of $1,218 or $2,436 per offense. DC DOB records show that Equity Residential has been fined more than $1.2 million for violations at 3003 Van Ness in recent years. It is not clear whether these fines have been paid.