Thanks to efforts from the Department of Buildings (DOB), a property owner reached a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) that will preserve the affordability of nearly 80 units and pay $1.65 million to tenants and the District.
The owners of Foster House, at 801 Rhode Island Avenue NW, recently reached the settlement after a lengthy legal battle with the owners, New Bethel Baptist Church Housing Corporation, Inc. to address dangerous living conditions.
DOB had inspected the property since 2018 (including during its time as the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, or DCRA), which resulted in several Notices of Violations and Notices of Infraction for conditions such as mold, water leaks, malfunctioning HVAC systems, inoperable smoke detectors, malfunctioning elevators, and rodent infestation. After the problems remained unabated, DOB worked with and referred information to OAG, which filed suit. During those proceedings, a DOB representative testified about inspection findings, the unresolved NOIs, and outstanding fines.
In spring 2023, a receiver was appointed by the DC Superior Court, which also found that the property had been cited by District government for serious, unabated housing code violations.
In settling the case, the owner agreed to sell the property to a buyer who will maintain at least 76 affordable apartments for 30 years and pay $650,000 in restitution to tenants and $1 million in civil penalties to the District. If such a buyer is not secured within one year, the owner must pay more than $6 million to tenants and the District.
For details on the settlement, please visit OAG’s website.
About DOB’S Housing Inspection Process
DOB seeks to ensure landlords obey District law requiring them to provide properties that are in safe, habitable, and livable condition. Through inspections, notices, and associated fines, DOB has worked to get property owners to fix tens of thousands of identified issues throughout the District. The agency is currently working to proactively reach out to high-violation property owners to push them back into compliance, which is quicker and better than being referred to the Office of Administrative Hearings. As with Foster House, in persistent cases of uncooperative property owners, DOB consults with partners such as OAG on additional enhanced enforcement. Ultimately, our goal is for property owners to work with DOB to abate violations and resolve problems for tenants as quickly as possible; DOB even has an Alternative Resolution Team (ART) dedicated to helping achieve case resolution without lengthy litigation.
We encourage District tenants to report any suspected housing and property maintenance violations directly to DOB at dob.dc.gov or 202-671-3500 so we can schedule an inspection as soon as possible.