WASHINGTON — Several residents at Cielo apartments in Northeast DC tell WUSA9 they still have nowhere to go after being displaced from their apartments due to building flooding caused by a valve issue on the twelfth floor.
Videos taken by renters show hallways covered in water, leaking in the stairway and inside the elevators. Residents told WUSA9, they were kicked out on Monday so repairs could be made and were offered no help. And it's not the first time the building has flooded.
“I have people I spoke to that are sleeping on people’s couches, they’re staying with friends," said resident Nikki Peele. "We have other neighbors offering to give them space in their apartments.”
Residents said they have called The Department of Buildings for an Emergency Inspection and assistance. After getting no response, WUSA9 followed up with DOB right away.
In a statement, a spokesperson said Wednesday that there has been no formal complaint about the property, but an inspector visited the site based on recent social media posts.
“A top priority of the Department of Buildings (DOB) is to ensure landlords obey District law requiring them to provide properties that are in safe, habitable, and livable condition. While DOB did not receive a formal complaint about this property, we did dispatch an inspector on Tuesday, August 27, based on recent social media posts about the situation. Currently, the property’s management team has stopped the leak, which came from an isolated source-- a failed back flow valve from a roof cooling tower—and is remediating the damages. We sent another inspector today to assess progress and will issue a Notice of Infraction as well as a correction order to remediate any damages within prescribed timeframes. Generally, if property conditions result in displacement, DOB encourages the property owner to temporarily relocate them to vacant units. If that is not possible, we refer tenants to the Office of the Tenant Advocate, which can often provide resources, including emergency housing, to displaced tenants."
A Cielo building spokesperson also told WUSA9 they are not kicking out residents. But the residents WUSA9 spoke to say that’s not the case.
"We are not kicking residents out as a result of the damage at Cielo," a Cielo spokesperson said. "We are working directly with the few residents that have been displaced by the damage to find alternate accommodations while repairs are being completed, including transfers to other apartment homes. We are doing everything we can to ensure residents are impacted as minimally as possible and have made ourselves available for any questions or concerns."
DOB said the Office of the Tenant Advocate can provide emergency housing to tenants displaced by fires, floods or government closures. They also offer hotel accommodations, storage options and service coordination.
District tenants should report any suspected housing and property maintenance violations directly to DOB at dob.dc.gov or 202-671-3500 for an inspection.