Today, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the “Relief for River East at Grandview Condominium Owners Emergency Act of 2024,” which includes critical supports for homeowners of River East at Grandview Estates, also known as Talbert Street. Read the article…………………………….
Illegal construction forces DC residents out of condos
Residents of a condo in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood need to find a new place to stay because of illegal construction work at an empty building next door. Video news report……………………..
They fled crumbling D.C. condos three years ago. Their lives were never the same.
It has been nearly three years since dozens of first-time home buyers were forced to flee their crumbling Anacostia condominium because the District deemed the newly-constructed building unsafe. Ever since, homeowners said, they have existed in a state of limbo — unable to return to life as they knew it and unable to truly move […]
DC homeowners displaced by faulty condos to lose temporary housing
For the first time since homeowners were forced out of their faulty constructed condominiums, the District Council held a hearing to discuss what they call the “debacle” surrounding the River East at Grandview Condos. Read the article………………………………..
Displaced Homeowners Say D.C. Government Has No Plan for Recompense
Two years ago, the D.C. government told condominium owners at River East at Grandview Estates that they suddenly had to move out of the structurally unsound building. Read the article…………………………………..
Housing Authority bought condos in their building and let it crumble, owners say (DC)
The Authority controls a sizable voting block on the board and a vice president seat, which allows it to take over when the president is inactive. The Authority has not done so, some owners said. The Authority countered that it is up to the owners to initiate meetings and undertake repairs. As the impasse has […]
‘So what is the city going to do?’ | Engineers cite DC condos at risk of “imminent collapse”
Department of Building inspectors condemned the homes on Talbert Street, SE, but engineers say neighbors who live on Morris Road are in danger too. Read the article………………………..
Anacostia homeowners want DC government to make them ‘whole’
Residents at 1262 Talbert St. SE had to leave their homes more than two years ago after it was determined their housing complex was slipping off its foundation. Read the article………………………..
Dozens displaced by DC condo roof fire
An apartment roof deck fire in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of D.C. was put out around 10 p.m. on Friday night, according to DC Fire and EMS. Officials said the building’s 28 units are “uninhabitable” following the destructive blaze, pushing all occupants out of their homes early into Saturday morning. No preliminary damage estimates were […]
More aid but no solutions for owners at crumbling D.C. condo building
More than a year after countless calls, meetings and messages to city officials, little has changed for the dozens of first-time home buyers who were forced to flee their crumbling Anacostia building. Read the article………………………..
A civil war among neighbors over Confederate-themed streets (VA)
On the corner of Confederate Lane and Plantation Parkway in the Civil War-themed housing development of Mosby Woods, a “Black Lives Matter” lawn sign faces the two street markers. Read the entire article……………………………….
Decision expected soon on whether SE DC condo residents will be forced out of their homes
Residents of a Southeast Washington condominium complex expect to learn Monday the result of their appeal to stay in their homes after the city ordered them out. Read the entire article……………………………….
DCRA cites Homeowners’ Association President for creating a ‘hazard to life and safety’ in SE condos (DC)
Saturday, a resident recorded cellphone video of Homeowners Association President Marcus Little seemingly violating District building code by tearing down a Stop Work Order placed there by housing inspectors last week. Residents said Mr. Little left the building in such disrepair refusing to use their association fees to fix the growing problems. Read the entire […]
Residents of SE DC condo forced to move out due to unsafe conditions
The city has ordered residents of a Southeast Washington condominium building out before Monday due to unsafe conditions that some residents blame on the head of their condo association. Read the entire article……………………………….
In Mount Pleasant, A Battle Over Balconies Threatens Longtime Residents Of A Historic Building (DC)
The 25 balconies adorning the historic Kenesaw/Renaissance apartments in Mount Pleasant are certainly elegant. But should residents have to pay $1.5 million to restore them? That’s the question at the center of a long-simmering dispute between residents of the 16th Street Beaux Arts building and the city’s Historic Preservation Review Board. After unsuccessfully trying to […]
Displaced Ward 8 homeowners file a new lawsuit against city and developer (DC)
A dozen homeowners who purchased properties in Southeast DC that fell apart soon after they were constructed filed a new lawsuit last month against the city, the developer, and a housing nonprofit. Read the entire article……………………………….
Court says DC isn’t liable for severe structural issues at a Ward 8 town house project it helped fund
In January 2021, Bennett and Callahan joined a group of homeowners in suing the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) — the city agency responsible for financing the project — as well as the developer and the River East at Grandview Condominium Association. The claims against the defendants included breach of contract, emotional distress, […]
DC, Virginia officials pressing for building protections after Florida condo collapse
The horrific building collapse in Florida is leaving local communities on edge about where their own homes stand. In the hours, days, and weeks after the deadly incident, Alexandria, Va. Mayor Justin Wilson said residents reached out voicing concerns. Read the entire article……………………………….
HUD Revises Condominium Forms HUD-9991 and HUD-9992
In Mortgagee Letter 2021-09, HUD announced the publication of Form HUD-9991, FHA Condominium Loan Level/Single-Unit Approval Questionnaire and Form HUD-9992, FHA Condominium Project Approval Questionnaire. Major changes to both forms include, consolidation or elimination of required information, removal of the requirement that the Condominium Association complete the form and sign the certification, and permitting data […]
Unhappy with the way your HOA is run? Here’s what you can do to improve the board.
Q: I wanted to comment on your recent column relating to the use of a homeowners association (HOA) pool during [the pandemic]. Halfway through your answer you wrote, “You and your fellow residents voted in the board and they represent you.” Read the article…………………………………
What homeowners associations should do when residents can’t pay during the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has delivered a multitude of horrors around the world. Along with the personal toll the virus has taken on individuals and families, the pandemic’s impact has shaken nearly all sectors of American economic life, and community associations are no exception. Millions of homeowners were under stay-at-home orders within a community association, and […]
Major fire in a high rise condo in Southwest (DC)
McKenzie reports: “Major fire in a high rise condo in Southwest. Cause of the fire currently unknown. Inside the north building of the Carrolsburg Condominium Complex. M & 4th SW. Is closed” Read the article……………………………..
7,000 gallons of raw sewage flood a DC condo building and DC Water blames wipes
Cellphone video and pictures showing four inches of raw sewage and feces floating on the floor of basement units inside Penn Circle Condominiums on 27th Street, SE told the first part of the story. Property Manager Paul Gallagher and residents Rasheema Brawner and Handi Wakatama told the second part of the story.Read the article………………………….
Swimming pool drains into condo building, D.C. fire department says
A rooftop pool can be a fun way for apartment residents to keep cool in Washington summers. However, things can occasionally go wrong — giving rise on Monday to what the D.C. fire department called an “unusual incident.” In a Twitter message, the fire department said a broken pipe caused a rooftop pool to drain […]
Appreciation: Benny L. Kass made buying and owning a home less scary for a generation of readers
On Oct. 7, 1972, a column debuted in The Washington Post’s Real Estate section aimed at transforming one of the most perplexing transactions for many people — buying a house — into a process they could understand and manage. At first, the column by Benny L. Kass was called Counsel to Home Buyer and Owner. […]
Housing Counsel: Public Condo Law vs. Private Condo Law
Q: I am the President of a mid-size condominium in Washington. Our Bylaws specifically prohibit short-term rentals of any kind. The board – and most of our members – agree that cutting out short term rentals and subleases of less than a year helps cut down on the move in and out traffic that creates […]
D.C.’s new short-term-rental rules allow room for condo associations’ existing bylaws
Q: I am the president of a mid-size condominium in Washington. Our bylaws specifically prohibit short-term rentals of any kind. The board — and most of our members — agree that cutting out short-term rentals and subleases of less than a year helps cut down on the move-in and move-out traffic that creates maintenance distress, […]
How to have influence on your condo board
Q: I own a small condominium in a midsize building in Chicago. I pay around $500 per month in assessments, and the building has more than $600,000 in reserves. The association hired a consultant to deliver a reserve study to the board, but it has not been posted to the condo building website. Read the […]
Kass: 5 steps new condo associations should take
Q. I live in a condominium complex with a large number of units. Recently, the developer notified each owner it will turn over control of the association to us, and a meeting has been scheduled for early next month. I have talked with a number of owners, and none of us have any idea what […]
Three new headaches for homeowner associations
What do drones, copyrights and mold have in common? According to USI Insurance Services, a national insurer with more than 50 offices throughout the country, these are some of the emerging trends that homeowner associations are — or will be — facing in the coming years. They all affect the financial well-being and the investments […]
Kass: What to do when a condominium organization has become disorganized
Dear Benny: I read your informative articles, andI have a question concerning my condominium organization. We have an association in “title” only, because it is run by one lady who collects the fees. Problem one: She’s too tired to collect the fees from the owners who have abandoned their units. Problem two: How do we […]
Why your development could be in big trouble if your HOA documents aren’t set up properly
Q: My husband inherited a private development that his father owned in West Virginia. How does one go about starting a homeowners association (HOA) for something like that? The lots were sold without any agreement about an HOA. All the extra costs like roads and sewer and snow removal have been covered privately, thus making […]
Best practices for condo boards to plan for future building repairs
Q: We live in a condo building of 56 units. We have a reserve fund marked for separate items like the elevator, roof, parking lot, painting, etc. If we didn’t have enough money to replace the elevator, can we use some of the money from the roof reserve fund? Read the Q&A…………..
How to handle conflicts between condo owners and renters
Our three-unit condo building allows renters as long as the lease is for a term of at least one year. We bought a unit and then met the other two unit owners on the day we closed. We told them we’d be renting our unit and one of the unit owners has been quite distraught, […]
Amnesty for D.C. condo buildings with out-of-date registrations ends Feb. 29
To legally transact business here, a business or association based in the District must register with DCRA. Once registered, the entity must file a status report every two years. Additionally, most businesses are required to obtain a “basic business license.” Read the article…………..
When is it time for developer to cede control of condo board to homeowners?
I recently saw your article regarding condominium reserve fund requirements and was wondering if you could possibly advise our complex resident/owners on what to do when you have completely inadequate homeowners association (HOA) reserves. Read the Q&A…………….
What happens when your rental is being converted into a condo?
Do you live in an apartment building that is going to be converted to a condominium? If so, are you at risk of being evicted? Or is this your unanticipated chance to finally become a homeowner? Many cities where land is scarce and housing is hard to find have developers who are clamoring to find […]
How to enforce lease restrictions in a condo building
Q: I am president of my association for a nine-unit condominium building. We have a limit to the number of units that can be leased in the building. The approach is somewhat liberal in that we allow four of nine units to be leased based on minimum guidelines set by the Federal Housing Administration. Read […]
Residents to Leave Water Street Condos for Repairs
Residents of a high-end, 72-unit building on the Georgetown waterfront will be moving out temporarily for repairs to a structure just over ten years old. With a lawsuit settled between owners of units in the condominium building at 3303 Water St. NW and its builder and seller EastBanc and its CEO Anthony Lanier, construction work […]
New laws (MD/DC) next year mandate bicycle storage, training for board officials
If you are a member of a community association board of directors in Montgomery County, as of January 2016 you will be required to take basic training within 90 days after being elected. And if you live in an apartment in the District and own a bicycle, your landlord may be obligated to provide storage […]
DC planners want to limit row houses from becoming condos
In neighborhoods like Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights, people have been converting row houses to 3- and 4-unit condo buildings. Should zoning stop this practice? It would under a new proposal from the DC Office of Planning, but not all of DC’s zoning commissioners were enthusiastic about the idea. Read more……….