AG Schwalb, following an investigation in which the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) worked closely with the District’s Department of Buildings (DOB), sued the developers and former owners of a newly-built apartment building in Ward 7 for performing shoddy, illegal construction, failing to pass required safety inspections, and endangering tenants at the property. OAG alleges that the developers and former owners of 5821 Dix Street NE, a 40-unit property, never properly completed construction, failed to pass basic safety inspections, and illegally rented apartments to tenants despite knowing that the building lacked a fire alarm, had exposed wires in hallways, was full of holes and debris, and was not water tight or weather tight. The lawsuit also details how the property’s former owners, Kiihomes, LLC, Mohammad Chaudhry, Tayyaba Samina, and Muhammad Qureshi, ignored repeated DOB orders to correct unsafe conditions, even after tenants moved in. OAG is seeking a court order to force the building’s former owners to pay restitution to tenants.

“Developers and property owners have a legal obligation to ensure their buildings meet basic safety standards before anyone moves in. For over a year, the former owners of 5821 Dix Street NE not only ignored regulations designed to protect the lives and health of District residents, but repeatedly defied DOB orders to rectify unsafe conditions. I appreciate DOB’s hard work in helping us to ensure District residents are safe in their homes by holding developers accountable for putting profits over people and endangering tenants with their lawlessness.” – AG Schwalb