D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine chalked up a major court victory Wednesday in a case against a neglectful Columbia Heights landlord.
The landlord, who oversaw 2724 11th St. NW, is being ordered by a judge to pay more than $422,000 in rent restitution for tenants and $215,000 in penalties for hundreds of housing code violations dating back years, according to a statement from Racine’s office.
A new management company, policies and trainings will also be required.
Among the housing violations are vermin infestations, mold contamination and lack of heat, Racine’s office said, adding that the owners continually ignored notices from tenants and D.C. government agencies.
“No tenant should have to live in properties that are in disrepair,” Racine said in a statement. “It鈥檚 up to landlords to follow the law and provide residents safe, healthy, and habitable homes. And if they fail to do that, we will hold them accountable. This ruling will provide tenants with relief they deserve and shows that landlords that violate the law will pay. We鈥檝e been working for many years to stand up for these tenants, and we already greatly appreciate the work of our partners in the community who were critical to raising these problems and defending the tenants.”
Racine’s office sued the owners and managers of the apartment building .
BREAKING: My office sued a Columbia Heights landlord for forcing tenants to live in deplorable conditions with vermin, mold and lack of heat. Now, the landlord is paying nearly $640,000 in restitution to the tenants and penalties to the District.
鈥� AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine)
The includes more than $422,000 in rent refunds to tenants for the 18 months between June 2016 and November 2017. The landlord also has to pay D.C. $215,000 in civil penalties, including the former maximum penalty for 215 violations of the . On top of that, they owe D.C. more than $42,000 in fees and costs.
In a statement, Felipa Arias, a tenant of the building, said she’d lived in her apartment for almost 30 years.
“It鈥檚 home. But it hasn鈥檛 always felt that way. My family has had to deal with issues such as crumbling walls, water damage, and mold. We鈥檝e also had to deal with an array of pests: rats, mice, bedbugs, roaches, and more,” she said.
鈥淲henever we would ask the building鈥檚 management to remedy these issues, the repairs that were made either didn鈥檛 last long or didn鈥檛 actually fix the issue. Many of us living in this building are immigrants. We had to deal with a language barrier and laws that were unfamiliar to us. Although this has been a frustrating and long journey, I appreciate AG Racine for standing up for us and for his office鈥檚 work to support us.鈥�
The law firm Arnold & Porter represented several of the building鈥檚 tenants and successfully litigated a separate mold claim, the OAG said.
You can read the final judgment .
