maintenance

VNSTA responds to Equity email regarding issues with electrical work

The Van Ness South Tenants Association continued to advocate for an improved process for replacing non-GFCI electrical outlets at 3003 Van Ness, sending a letter to new Equity Residential General Manager for 3003 Van Ness, Dan Burkes. The letter, which follows a previous letter to Equity Residential Senior Vice President Frances Nolan, asks for clarification regarding electrical licenses, procedures for entering apartments, and for cleaning after electrical work is completed.

An excerpt from the letter appears below. Read the entire letter in printer-friendly format.

“It also is helpful to hear you say that Equity Residential is committed to providing quality service and that you will instruct the vendors to wipe down areas regarding the electrical sockets when they finish installing the new GFCI outlets. However, this may not be enough to solve the problems – they may have to either use larger faceplates or sand the area around the outlets. Also, will you instruct the workers to go back and clean around the outlets in the apartment in which the electrical work already has been completed? Or will the “quality service” only apply to electrical work in the future?”

VNSTA sends letter to Equity VP Frances Nolan re shoddy electrical work

The Van Ness South Tenants Association today sent a letter to Equity Residential Senior Vice President Frances Nolan, requesting that she take steps to improve sloppy electrical work at 3003 Van Ness and that she states whether or not the workers replacing electrical outlets are licensed electricians.

See an example of the work below, followed by the letter to Senior VP Frances Nolan. Residents report that almost all outlets that are being replaced are left in this condition.

Dear Ms. Nolan,

I am writing regarding Equity Residential’s slow and sloppy effort to replace electrical outlets in the kitchens and bathrooms of apartments at 3003 Van Ness in Washington, D.C.

As you know, the DC Department of Buildings discovered in a building-wide inspection of the property that most units lacked Ground Fault Interrupter Circuit (GFCI) outlets, that are required by the housing code and that are necessary for preventing possible electric shock or electrocution. This serious safety issue was discovered last September; however, Equity’s efforts to replace the old outlets have been glacially slow and still are not complete.

In addition, the people Equity has hired to do the work have done sloppy job, leaving a dark outline of dirt around the outlets (see attached photo), leaving bits of wire and other materials nearby, and moving residents’ personal items without putting them back. Moreover, the workers, who appear to be third-party contractors, have been entering residents’ apartments without being accompanied by Equity Residential employees.

The slow pace and sloppiness of the job raises questions about Equity’s commitment to its customers. It is hard to believe that corporate executives would be proud of the work displayed in the attached photo. This is not an isolated example – this photo is representative of most units.

The shoddy work also raises questions about the qualifications of the workers. Are they licensed electricians?

We request that take steps to clean up the mess around the outlets as shown in the attached photo, and that you make sure that the contractors have the necessary qualifications to do electrical work.

Sincerely yours,

Harry Gural

President, Van Ness South Tenants Association


Read the letter in printer-friendly format

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VNSTA sends letter to Equity Residential senior VP regarding potentially dangerous leaks

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Last week, a resident of 3003 Van Ness sent two emails to building manager Josh Luper, warning him about a large water leak in several laundry rooms of the West building. The leaks were directly next to electric outlets and therefore could pose a risk of shock to residents.

Today, the Van Ness South Tenants Association sent a letter to Equity Residential Senior Vice President Frances Nolan, calling on her to take action to make sure that the leaks are addressed and that residents are safe. Specifically, the letter calls for Equity to hire plumbing and electricity experts to assess the seriousness of the situation and to repair the problems.

Since the discovery of the large leak, Equity has not informed residents of the situation or told them that there is a possible risk of shock. The tenant association today called on Equity to alert residents to the possible risk.

The letter stated:

“It has been almost a week since a resident alerted the front desk and emailed Equity Residential building manager Josh Luper about the leak, reporting that dripping water could be seen through holes in the laundry room walls, that “the wall to the right of the [laundry] outlet on the 8th floor is moist to the touch” and that “the wall holding the outlet on the 7th floor is saturated with water.” Equity Residential appears to have taken no action, not even to post a sign or send an email to residents warning them of the danger.”

Read the entire letter in printer-friendly format at this link.

Tenant association launches survey regarding rodents at 3003 Van Ness

The Van Ness South Tenants Association today launched a survey for residents of 3003 Van Ness, to find out whether they are experiencing problems with rodents.

The survey was created because a substantial number of residents of 3003 Van Ness have reported to the tenant association that they have had mice or rats in their apartments. Some say that Equity Residential hasn’t aggressively tried to solve the problem — e.g., setting traps but not plugging holes in the walls. The Van Ness South Tenants Association wrote the online survey to find out the extent of the problem.

The survey also offers residents the opportunity to request information from the tenant association about steps they can take if management does not solve a rodent problem in a timely manner, including requesting an inspection by the DC Department of Buildings or filing a complaint in DC Housing Conditions Court. This simple legal action costs only $15 and does not require an attorney.

Residents who want help from the tenant association for rodent problems in their apartments should fill out the online survey.

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Tenant association president threatens Equity Residential with legal action over poor security

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Harry Gural, president of the Van Ness South Tenants Association, today sent a letter to Equity Residential, requesting that it repair broken exterior doors within two weeks — or face possible legal action in Housing Conditions Court.

For well more than a year, the tenant association has repeatedly asked Equity Residential to fix broken exterior doors and locks, presenting evidence of dozens of videos showing that it is easy to enter 3003 Van Ness without a fob. Equity has promised to repair the doors, but some doors have remained broken for months. Broken doors are a violation of DC Housing Code, 14 DCMR 705.5.

In the past, the DC Metropolitan Police Department has referred Equity Residential to the DC Attorney General for possible prosecution for poor security under the Drug-, Firearm-, or Prostitution-Related Nuisance Abatement Law.

The tenant association for a long time has argued that Equity Residential, a Real Estate Investment Trust with a market capitalization of approximately $23 billion, must provide adequate security at its property at 3003 Van Ness.

Read the entire letter at this link.

“I am contacting you to request repairs of DC housing code violations in common areas of 3003 Van Ness. If the three security doors are not repaired within the two weeks, I intend to file a complaint against Equity Residential Management in DC Housing Conditions Court.”
— Letter to Equity Residential
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Third tenant inspection in two months finds that exterior doors remain broken

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Members of the Van Ness South Tenants Association found on February 1st that three key security doors remain broken at 3003 Van Ness, allowing easy access from outside the building into the garage, and from the garage into the apartment area. This is the third time that tenants have recorded video of these broken doors since early December.

The tenant association has archived dozens of such videos in recent years, posting them on YouTube and Twitter/X, and sending them many times to Equity Residential management.

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Another tenant inspection of 3003 finds that problems have not been fixed

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Tenants conducted another inspection of common areas on Friday, Jan. 19th, and found that none of the problems that had been repeatedly reported to management in the past have been fixed.

As in past inspections, tenants found that many security doors are broken, allowing easy access from the outside into the building. These include one of the most highly trafficked entrances to the building, and several doors from the underground garage into the apartment hallways. In most cases, the doors can be opened without a fob. In other cases, the doors cannot be opened — even if a fob.

In addition, tenants found that almost a half dozen security lights in the lower courtyard remain missing or broken. Some appear to have been torn completely from concrete pedestals, others simply lie on the ground.

These security vulnerabilities are particularly concerning given that the DC Attorney General already has threatened suit against Equity Residential for poor security at 3003 Van Ness under the Drug-, Firearm-, or Prostitution-Related Nuisance Abatement Law.

The tenant association has extensively documented security problems at 3003 Van Ness since Equity Residential took control of the property in 2014 — writing reports, sending letters to Equity management, posting photos to Twitter/X, and conducting many inspections of the property.

Despite the fact that Equity Residential may bear legal liability for residents’ safety when the company fails to provide adequate security, many well-documented problems persist, with little apparent effort by Equity to fix them.

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Despite warning, Equity Residential has not repaired security problems at 3003 Van Ness

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Another informal inspection by the Van Ness South Tenants Association finds that security and maintenance problems that were reported to Equity Residential in early December have not been repaired.

The inspection was conducted on the morning of December 31, 2023. It found that four security lampposts in the lower courtyard remain broken. The locks on several security doors remain broken, providing intruders easy access to the buildings. There has been no apparent attempt by management to fix the vandalism in the elevators.

In addition, the recent inspection finds a large pile of broken furniture and other garbage at the loading dock.

The tenant association has warned Equity senior management about the broken exterior doors many times over recent years. In addition, the DC Attorney General has threatened to file suit against Equity Residential for poor security at 3003 Van Ness under the Drug-, Firearm-, or Prostitution-Related Nuisance Abatement Law. Nevertheless, Equity has not taken steps to keep the security doors in good working order.

The DC Department of Buildings is currently conducting a building-wide inspection of all apartments at 3003 Van Ness. The inspection has revealed numerous serious housing code violations, which may lead to large fines against Equity Residential.

The Van Ness South Tenants Association requests that Equity Residential take proactive steps to make 3003 Van Ness clean and safe.

See photos and videos below from the Jan. 31, 2023, VNSTA inspection of 3003 Van Ness.

Garage door E doesn’t lock — allowing easy access to the building

Garage door O doesn’t lock — this already has been reported many times.

Garage door N has not been fixed — allowing easy access into the building

Door into the west building from the garage does not lock. This has been reported many times, but never fixed.

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Tenant association inspection of 3003 Van Ness finds numerous problems

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Members of the Van Ness South Tenants Association found numerous problems during an informal inspection of common areas at 3003 Van Ness on Saturday, December 2, 2023. These included several security doors that don’t lock, several broken lampposts, elevators that have been vandalized, inoperable washing machines, laundry rooms without working lights, and courtyard paving stones that wobble and constitute a trip hazard.

Most of these problems have been reported previously to Equity Residential building management. Some problems, like the broken security doors, have been reported many times — despite the fact that the DC Attorney General has warned Equity about poor security at 3003 Van Ness.

Even the lock to the front door at the main entrance was broken, with visitors able to freely enter the building without a fob — see video below.

Tenant association members widely believe that it should be the responsibility of the owner and manager of the building, a $25 billion company, to frequently inspect the building for problems and to fix those problems expeditiously. That is not happening.

It is particularly important for Equity to fix problems that cause security vulnerabilities — for example, the broken security lights listed in photos below, or the several broken security doors that provide easy access to the buildings — see videos at the bottom of this page. The Van Ness South Tenants Association has reported such problems to Equity Residential management many times. However, despite the DC Attorney General’s threat to file suit against Equity for poor security under the Drug-, Firearm-, or Prostitution-Related Nuisance Abatement Law, the $25 billion corporation still has not taken adequate steps to keep security systems in working order.

Fortunately, the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) is currently conducting a building-wide inspection of apartments at 3003 Van Ness. We hope that the DOB inspection, which includes fine for housing code violations, will encourage Equity Residential to fix numerous problems in residents’ apartments as well as the many other problems documented below.

Even the door at the main entrance doesn’t lock. It is easy to enter the building without a fob.

Tenants again warn Equity Residential that taking down tenant association flyers is against the law

For the third time in recent weeks, the Van Ness South Tenants Association sent a letter to Equity Residential management, reiterating that DC law prohibits landlords from removing tenant association informational material from bulletin boards.

Recently, the tenant association has been posting flyers informing residents of 3003 Van Ness that the DC Department of Buildings is conducting building-wide proactive inspections at the property. VNSTA believes that Equity has made insufficient effort to alert residents about the inspections, and as a result it has impeded progress. For this reason, the tenant association has been posting informational flyers. Evidence strongly suggests that Equity Residential employees have been taking down many of those flyers.

The flyers are particularly important because they let residents know that they must fill out an official permission from the Department of Buildings in order to have their apartment inspected. Equity’s efforts to take down flyers deprives residents of that important information, decreasing the chance that they will get a needed inspection, and slowing the work of the Department of Buildings. For these reasons, the tenant association has sent Equity Residential a third letter reminding the company that it is illegal to take down tenant association flyers from community bulletin boards, and that the law stipulates steep fines for doing so.

“I am writing to you for a third time about Equity Residential employees removing flyers that were posted by the tenant association.

We are concerned because the flyers inform residents about building-wide inspections by the DC Department of Buildings, which have found that many apartments lack electrical outlets in kitchens and bathrooms that are designed to prevent electrocution. We also are concerned because it is illegal for Equity Residential to remove tenant association posters, under DC law §42–3505.06.
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— Quote Source