SILVER SPRING, Md. — The landlord of the burned-down high-rise in Silver Spring where a young woman died in February says survivors' claims that their remaining possessions are "being held hostage" are false.
Trinity Property Consultants, the company that manages the Arrive Silver Spring building on Georgia Avenue is standing by its new demand that residents sign away legal rights before being allowed in the building to salvage wrecked apartments.
At least one Montgomery County lawmaker says it may be time for the government to get involved.
Em Espey is among the survivors who say the landlord is using strong-arm tactics against fire victims with little power to resist the affiliate of a real estate investment firm with a $40 billion portfolio.
“I'm extremely concerned. It's like they're holding our belongings hostage," Espey said Thursday describing a conversation with a company representative. "She said nobody was forcing us to sign the waiver. And we could just not sign it and lose our belongings. We feel like we are fighting an uphill battle that we should not be having to fight."
Friday California-based Trinity Property Consultants, an affiliate of FPA Multifamily denied Espey’s claims and compared the legal release to the disclaimer on the back of sports tickets warning of being hit by foul balls.
“For our residents' safety, it is imperative that they are made aware of the potential health impacts and risks...” the company said in a written statement.
"We want to ensure our residents are educated on the potential contamination of their belongings. We are not public health officials and cannot say whether or not specific items within their homes may have been contaminated or are safe. Out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our residents, the release waiver acknowledges that residents understand that if they choose to remove belongings from their home, that they understand the health risks," the statement reads.
The Trinity statement added that the company is doing everything in its power to work with residents.
The company also said that residents' claims reported by WUSA9 that they were given a March 21 deadline to remove possession from condemned units are not true.
"We want to be clear, there is no deadline at this time for the moving of personal belongings out of units. Due to the ongoing investigations by industrial hygienists and third-party fire professionals and the potential health impacts from the fire in condemned units, we are still waiting to be advised on the timeline for having a full and complete remediation schedule for the condemned units," the company claimed.
The company also said allegations that residents were not being allowed to their units to recover items are false.
Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart said it may be time for the county to step in.
“I'm deeply concerned about the waiver," Stewart said. "The circumstances under which they’ve been asked to sign it, I'm very troubled by. I think we need to work on this. There are definitely actions we should be taking."