PUSHING FOR NEEDED REPAIRS
3003 Van Ness was once a jewel, part of a complex of three large apartment buildings constructed in 1970 and situated off Connecticut Avenue near the Van Ness Metro Station and Rock Creek Park. The buildings feature large apartments with hardwood parquet floors and they share an exceptionally large pool.
One of the buildings was later converted into condos; another was converted into a coop; and the third, 3003 Van Ness, remained rental apartments, billed as “luxury.” After Equity Residential purchased Smith Property Holdings Van Ness LP, the company which holds the deed to 3003 Van Ness, maintenance of the building went sharply downhill.
The result of that neglect is evident — holes in the garage ceilings, broken doors and locks, elevators that break down frequently, extensive water leaks, broken outdoor lighting, as well as frequent disruptions in heat, air conditioning and hot water. The failure to maintain the building also creates safety issues — e.g., concrete patio tiles that rock when residents walk on them. Exterior doors and locks that are frequently broken creates a serious security risk, and likely contribute to increased crime at 3003 Van Ness.
STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS, SECURITY ISSUES AND SAFETY HAZARDS
The tenant association and individual tenants have complained about deteriorating physical plant for years. Equity managed largely has ignored those complaints. For this reason, on December 21, 2021, the Van Ness South Tenants Association released an extensive, 40+ page report on the many problems that require immediate repair. The report was submitted to Equity local and regional management, Equity Residential Corporation’s most senior corporate officers, and Washington DC government officials, including the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).
This won’t be the first time that DCRA has dealt with Equity Residential — it has fined the company many times for various infractions. However, this report suggests that some of the maintenance failures may have caused structural problems at 3003 Van Ness, including massive water leaks in the underground garages — Equity has jerry rigged a temporary fix with a system of overhead gutters. Moreover, frequent tenant complaints about cigarette and marijuana smoke from other apartments suggests that the massive ventilation system may need extensive repair.
A LONG HISTORY OF MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS UNDER EQUITY MANAGEMENT
The Van Ness South Tenants Association has tangled with Equity a number of times on serious maintenance issues. Among other things:
In September 2013, the tenants association reported Equity Residential to the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for extensive, unmitigated concrete dust during repair of building balconies, which was getting into resident apartments. VNSTA provided extensive video evidence to the investigators.
In February 2016, the tenants association complained to Equity Residential about its poor response to a serious electrical problem on back patio, which caused the electrocution of a resident’s dog.
In June 2017, the tenants association wrote to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, calling for an investigation following the electrocution of the dog, a large apartment fire that caused damage in several apartments, elevator malfunctions, large-scale leaks, and rat infestations.
In October 2017, the tenant association wrote Equity Residential management about extensive construction debris in public areas.
A VISUAL GALLERY OF CURRENT MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS (JAN. 1, 2022)
Because of this long history of extensive maintenance issues, the Van Ness South Tenants Association is committed to collecting visual evidence of these problems and posting them on this website and via social media until the are fixed.
EQUITY RESIDENTIAL FAILS TO PAY FINES FOR PAST INFRACTIONS
Equity Residential has been investigated many times by the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), and it often has been fined. For example, in the summer and fall or 2021, DCRA fined Equity Residential for at least 20 infractions at 3003 Van Ness, including the following ones that had not been paid by December 31, 2021.
Failure to maintain stairs and/or other walking surfaces in sound condition, good repair, and free from hazardous conditions
Failure to exterminate rodent harborage or infestations by approved processes which are not injurious to human health
Failure to correct cracked or loose plaster, holes, decayed wood, and/or defective surface conditions
Failure to maintain interior surfaces of structure and equipment therein in good repair, structurally sound and in sanitary condition
Failure to maintain interior surfaces areas [of apartments] in good, clean and sanitary condition and good repair
Small fines against Equity Residential have not been adequate to provide sufficient disincentive to keep it from breaking the law in the future.