maintenance

How to get help if your apartment was flooded

If your apartment or belongings were damaged by the widespread flooding in the West building on December 16th, here are some tips for getting help.

  1. Report the incident to Equity Residential management for 3003 Van Ness. Equity has an online portal for reporting maintenance problems. However, we strongly recommend that you also email the building manager, Dan Burkes, at dburkes@eqr.com. You should cc the tenant association at vnsta@vnsta.org.

  2. Take extensive photos and video of the damage. If it isn’t repaired in a timely manner, take more photos and videos as evidence that it was not repaired.

  3. Fill out this important survey by the tenant association so we know about your problem and can help.

  4. File a request with the DC Department of Buildings for an inspection of your unit. The DOB is closely aware of the situation, and it will send someone to inspect your apartment for damage.

If you have additional questions, email the tenant association at vnsta@vnsta.org.

You can help your neighbors by making sure that they receive this information. While many residents of 3003 Van Ness are on the tenant association email newsletter distribution list, some residents are not. You can help share the information above by printing a few copies of this one-page flyer and posting them on your hall or slipping them under the doors of nearby apartments. (If you slip them under the door, please be sure to slip them all the way under.)

Thank you!

At least two of four elevators in the West building are out of service

The recent massive flooding in the West building of 3003 Van Ness has seriously damaged elevators #3 and #4 in the West building (those closest to Veazey Terrace.)

Residents report that one of the other two elevators in the West building has been sporadically out of service, apparently due to workers removing washers and dryers from all of the laundry rooms in the West building. As a result, in recent days residents of the 11-story West building often have had access to only one elevator. Many residents, especially senior citizens, have expressed their concern.

According to management, “it will take some time for the other two elevators to be up and running as they have extensive damage due to the flood.”

See below a photo taken on the day of the flood of one of the elevators that was severely damaged. This elevator and the one adjacent to it are now out of service.

Flood in elevator (Dec. 16, 2024)

DC Department of Buildings inspects broken security doors

At the request of the Van Ness South Tenants Association, the DC Department of Buildings today inspected broken security doors at 3003 Van Ness.

Just two days earlier, VNSTA reviewed the security doors leading from the street into the underground garages, and from the underground garages into the West and South buildings. The tenant association found that it remains easy to enter the residential hallways of 3003 Van Ness from the street, through multiple doors.

The tenant association has recorded more than 80 videos of broken security doors at 3003 Van Ness over more than two years.

VNSTA awaits a report by the Department of Buildings.

See video below recorded on December 15th, 2024.

Equity provides information to residents regarding major mainline water leak

Equity Residential has shared some information with residents regarding the widespread flooding caused by a major pipe that burst on the 10th floor of the West building just after midnight on December 16th. (See information about the flooding along with photos in the previous news item below.)

At 1:03 am last night, Equity sent an email to residents, which said this:

This email is to inform you that we have shut the water off to the building due to an emergency water leak. Our team is on site assessing the issue, once we have a time frame for repairs, we will send a follow up email.

NOTE: An earlier version of this post stated that Equity did not send additional information until 9:30 pm on December 16th. That has proven to be incorrect — management sent a second email, only to residents of the West building, at 11:58 am on that day. This second email stated:

As you are probably already aware we had a major mainline water leak that has caused significant water intrusion on the 10th floor. This affected the common hallways and stairwells areas as well as some apartments. The plumbing repairs are now complete and our team/contractors are working to access damage and start repairs.

Today, a service team member will inspect apartments in the affected areas (consisting of apartment numbers ending 5 through 21) between the 1st floor and the 10th floor. Should you notice any water damages in your home and your apartment number doesn't end in 5 through 21, please reach out and let us know so we can inspect your home as well.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused. We thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.

Another email was sent to residents of the West building at 8:25 am on Tuesday, December 17th. It stated that:

We wanted to provide an update regarding the work being completed in your home due to the water intrusion caused by a mainline pipe malfunction. Contractors will be back today to complete a moisture reading in the areas that were affected in your home. They will begin at 9 am until all apartments are completed. Once the readings are complete we will follow up with next steps.

Thank you for your patience.

Burst pipe causes massive flooding in the West building

After midnight last night, a pipe burst on the 10th or 11th floor of the West building of 3003, causing large-scale flooding all the way down to at least the 2nd floor.

Water poured through ceilings and walls of apartments below. Some residents reported water in their apartments several inches deep. Some electrical outlets crackled, raising concerns for safety. Water flooded some of the hallways and stairwells many floors below the burst pipe.

Residents alerted the front desk staff, who reported that an off-site maintenance team was at least an hour away. Someone set off a fire alarm. The water to the entire building was eventually shut off, but water continued to flood the lower floors for at least several hours.

See photos and video below.

Flooding on the 5th floor of the West building

Flooding on the G1 level of the West building

Flooding in a stairwell

Flooding in the hall of the 3rd floor of the West building

Flooding in one of the elevators

Flooding on the 3rd floor of the West building

,

Fire doors have not been repaired

,

The inspection of 3003 Van Ness by the DC Department of Buildings found that most doors to apartments lack a self-closing mechanism, which is necessary for fire safety.

This fire safety issue was reported by DOB inspectors, but it appears that only a few doors have been updated with a spring mechanism that would close the door automatically as the resident exits his or her apartment. This is necessary to slow the spread of fire in the case of an emergency.

The tenant association recently began an informal survey of residents to find out how many doors have been repaired. So far, 95% of respondents report that the doors have not been repaired.

It isn’t clear why Equity Residential is not addressing this fire safety issue.

VNSTA asks DC Department of Buildings to aggressively pursue code violations

The Van Ness South Tenants Association today sent a letter to Brian Hanlon, Director of the DC Department of Buildings (DOB), asking that he accelerate the pace of inspections at 3003 Van Ness and that he imposes and collect fines for housing code violations.

Recently, it was discovered that the Department of Buildings has cited Equity Residential for more than 700 housing code violations over the past year, totaling more than $1.2 million in fines. However, it has been reported that only one-third of the units have been inspected so far in DOB’s proactive inspection of the property, which began in August 2023.

If the inspection process were to proceed more quickly, and if approximately the same number of violations per unit were found, the total fines could exceed $3 million.

The letter to DOB raises questions about whether DOB policies regarding fines provide adequate incentives to force rental housing management companies like Equity Residential to keep their buildings in compliance with the housing code. Evidence suggests that DOB assesses fines but does not move aggressively to collect them — and in fact forgives them if the company remediates the code violation.

The letter to Director Hanlon from VNSTA president Harry Gural concludes:

“I strongly request that you take whatever steps necessary to move forward quickly with proactive inspections of the remaining two-thirds of units at 3003 Van Ness. Moreover, I ask that you seek full payment for all fines for all housing code violations that are discovered – and that you impose additional fines on those codes that are cited and subsequently not remediated.”

The Department of Buildings has levied more than $1.2 million in fines on Equity Residential for 3003 Van Ness over the past three years

The DC Department of Buildings has levied $1,218,612 in fines on Equity Residential for violations at 3003 Van Ness over the past three years. Almost 750 violations were cited.

The information was retrieved from the DOB’s SCOUT online data system and Landlord Violations Tool, covering the period between June 23, 2021, and June 6, 2024.

The Department of Buildings is currently conducting a building-wide inspection of 3003 Van Ness, as part of its Proactive Inspection Program. DOB chooses buildings for the program in which the landlord has a past history of a high number of violations.

Over the past year alone, DOB has issued more than 700 citations for violations at 3003 Van Ness as part of the building-wide proactive inspection. It has been reported that less than half of the 625 units have been inspected to date, so it is expected that the total number of violations and fines likely will rise.

It is not clear whether Equity Residential has paid any of the $1.2 million in fines to date.

Some of the violations cited are:

  • Failure to maintain stairs and/or other walking surfaces in sound condition, good repair and free from hazardous conditions

  • Failure to tightly secure the lock on entrance doors to dwelling units or sleeping units and/or failure to maintain locks on means of egress doors

  • Failure to maintain all fire and smokestop doors in operable condition

  • Failure of the owner to keep structure free from rodent infestation

  • Failure to correct electrical system that constitutes a hazard to the occupants or the structure

  • Failure to install an approved carbon monoxide alarm in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms in dwelling units located in a building containing a fuel-burning appliance

  • Failure to install or maintain single- or multiple-station smoke alarms in Group I-1 and R occupancies, and dwellings not regulated as Group R occupancies

  • Failure to maintain in a safe and sanitary condition a public toilet facility

  • Failure to have at least one grounded-type receptacle or a receptacle with a ground fault circuit interrupter in every laundry area

  • Failure to have a means of egress indicated with approved Exit signs

  • Failure to install an approved permanent sign adjacent to each manual fire alarm box that reads: “WHEN ALARM SOUNDS CALL FIRE DEPARTMENT” where fire alarm systems are not monitored by a supervising station

  • Failure to keep every plumbing stack, vent, waste and sewer line free from obstructions, leaks, or defect

Washington Post investigation finds rat infestation at an Equity Residential building in Dupont Circle

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.

,

VNSTA requests better maintenance of laundry rooms

,

The Van Ness South Tenants Association today sent a letter and report to Equity Residential general manager Dan Burkes about the conditions of the laundry rooms at 3003 Van Ness. The report, which focuses on the west building, documented numerous problems.

The letter states:

“In recent years, Equity Residential has made little effort to adequately maintain the laundry rooms and has taken no responsibility for the washing machines and dryers, which are owned by an outside vendor. As a result, the machines are frequently in disrepair, and the laundry rooms often have dirty floors, lint, construction debris, frequent leaks and standing water, as well as large holes in the plaster walls. Some of the machines are not properly anchored to the floors, and the dryer vents are not properly connected to the exhaust shafts in the walls.”

Read the entire letter in printer-friendly format.