Housing Complex Owners Ordered to Invest $1 Million After Years of Rodent Infestation Complaints

After years of struggle and complaints, residents of the affordable housing complex in Northeast D.C. are set to receive some relief. The Office of the Attorney General in D.C. has ordered the owners of the Mayfair Mansions to invest $1 million to address rampant rodent infestation, improve security and living conditions, fix housing code violations, and pay tenants of the complex on Hayes Street NE. The order comes as part of a settlement deal between the apartment complex and the OAG, according to a news release.

Years of battle finally bear fruit

The Mayfair Mansions is a 410-unit affordable housing complex whose residents have complained about poor health and safety of the residence for years. In 2021, WUSA9 reported about residents complaining about rodent infestation, mold, maintenance issues, and more. The report also said that the owners of the complex at the time were under federal investigation after efforts to control a growing rat problem allegedly poisoned local waterways.

Thus, after receiving numerous resident complaints, the attorney general’s office initiated an investigation into the building’s issues, which led to the recent settlement. According to the official release from the OAG, the enterprise is working to have a long-term plan to improve conditions and security for its residents. “Every District of Columbia resident deserves safe and habitable housing first and foremost,” said Argie Weatherington, section chief of the office’s housing and environmental justice section, per an NBC Washington report.

One of the conditions of the settlement is to address the problem of rodents. According to Weatherington, the owners are hiring independent pest contractors to deal with the problem and ensure that the dumpster areas are kept clean and secured to cut off food sources of rodents.

Furthermore, under the agreement, the building owners will fix all violations and upgrade security at the housing complex. They will also pay a portion of the $1,040,000 settlement money to the D.C which will be used to refund the tenants who were forced to live in the poor conditions. As for upgrading security, Mayfair will now maintain armed special police officers at the property for a minimum of 262 hours per week, install and maintain lighting and security cameras at the property, repair and replace broken exterior doors, and remove all abandoned vehicles from the property.

The owners will also improve housing conditions and fix the outstanding housing code violations within 30 days. The hired pest control vendor will be required to service the property at least once a month to ensure proper safety from rodents. The owners will further provide quarterly reports to the OAG detailing updates on housing code violations and lists of resident complaints, to ensure ongoing compliance with the law.

Residents are skeptical

Despite the order from the OAG, the residents of the housing complex are skeptical after living under bad conditions for so long. A longtime resident of the complex, George Garrett told NBC Washington that they don’t believe much could be done apart from tearing the whole place down as the mice are now living in the walls.

Garrett, who has lived in the complex for eight years, said the main problem was that the owners did not take care of the units at all. He said he will believe the changes once he sees improvements. However, the OAG says, the agreement has triggered changes that are on the way ASAP. Further, according to Weatherington, Mayfair has already begun making some improvements with a long way to go.