Broken security doors

For many months, many of the exterior security doors at 3003 Van Ness have been broken. This allows easy access into the building, either from the street or from the underground garage.

The tenant association has reported this problem to Equity Residential management many, many times — with little improvement. See the dozens of videos of broken doors we have posted on our YouTube channel.

In the spring of 2024, Equity Residential hired a new building manager for 3003 Van Ness, Dan Burkes. He has promised the tenant association that he will make strong efforts to keep all doors in good repair. We hope he is able to do that.

If you notice a broken exterior door — one that opens without a FOB — report it to Equity Residential building manager Dan Burkes via email, cc’ing the tenant association.

It also is important to use your phone to take video of the broken door as evidence of the problem. You can find examples of such video on our YouTube channel. Then send the video to the tenant association via email at vnsta@vnsta.org, along with a description of where the broken door is.

Doors propped open -- creating a security issue

Despite the DC Attorney General’s efforts to pressure Equity Residential into providing better security at 3003 Van Ness, the company still fails to have a security guard check exterior doors to make sure that they haven’t been propped open to allow non-residents to enter. Equity claims that a security guard is on duty, but he or she is seen infrequently and doesn’t appear to be making rounds.

Here are three photos from April 8th through 11th. Residents report that they see doors propped open daily.

Leaks in the fitness center still have not been repaired

After many weeks, the leaks in the ceiling of the fitness center still have not been repaired. Instead, Equity Residential has addressed the issue only by using plastic sheeting and buckets to catch the yellow water.

Clogged ventilation ducts

Many residents of 3003 Van Ness have complained about poor ventilation, especially smoke or cooking smells that travel from other apartments to yours even when all windows and doors are closed.

This likely is caused by partially blocked or narrowed air ducts or a systemic weakness in the building’s ventilation system. Equity Residential should be cleaning the system to keep it running properly.

One resident who has complained of poor ventilation was smart enough to take a look for herself. She opened one of the air ducts in her apartment and found what you see below. If air ducts in other apartments are clogged as badly as this one and if the clog extends into the shafts and the system as a whole, it could explain the problems residents are having with second-hand smoke and smells.

Laundry room out of order on 5th floor of West building

A resident reported on March 1st at 9:49 PM that the laundry room on the 5th floor of the West building is completely out of order. She reported the incident to Equity Residential management via email.

The 5th floor West laundry room has been flooding intermittently for well over a month, with standing water for long periods of time. Equity management repeatedly has been informed of this issue.

Laundry room problems on 7th floor of the South building

A February 20th inspection by the Amenities Working Group of the Van Ness South Tenants Association found multiple problems in the laundry room on the 7th floor of the South building.

One washing machine is out of service. There is a large hole in the wall behind the washers with no information explaining the situation or presenting a timeline for repairs.

Introducing "Out of Order"

The tenants association has received so many complaints from members about things that don’t work properly at 3003 Van Ness and that Equity Residential has failed to repair properly, we’ve decided to to create a blog to track these problems, “Out of Order.”

We hate to have to go to such lengths to pressure Equity to maintain the building, keep the laundry facilities working properly, fix leaks in the ceilings of the fitness center and the garage, clean the ventilation system, replace light bulbs in lampposts, repair sidewalks, keep the garage door functioning properly, make sure apartments get heat and hot water, etc.

However, Equity Residential has failed to do all of these things for years — and has only responded recently when pressured by the tenant association and by city inspectors.

For this reason, we launch “Out of Order.” We can’t list everything here - that would be a full-time job - but we’ll list some of the most aggravating failures.

If you are a resident of 3003 and you have something to report, first make sure that you have complained in writing to Equity, then alert the tenants association via the main email address or this form.