DC sues landlord, property manager over 'horrific' living conditions: AG's office

WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced Thursday that his office has filed a lawsuit against the owner and property manager of two apartment buildings in Ward 7's Deanwood neighborhood.

The lawsuit accuses the owners of forcing tenants to live in unsafe, unsanitary, and hazardous conditions.

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Michael Adams is all too familiar with those conditions.

"Oh man, the conditions, they was horrible. I don't think nobody should have been living in the conditions. The smell was terrible. You could barely stand it in there. They had all these leaks. The water was rising damn near knee-high. No one came out to do about it, man. just left people in here suffering like that," Adams said.

The suit is filed against Mikhail Phillips, 711 49th Street LLC, RLP Investment Group LLC, and Vision Realty Management LLC -- who collectively own or manage the two multifamily buildings at 5128 and 5134 Sheriff Road, Northeast, according to Schwalb's office.

An Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) investigation discovered severe, dangerous housing code violations at the properties.

The violations included "mountains of trash inside and outside the complexes," rodent and bedbug infestations, severe mold contamination, water leaks, collapsed ceilings, and faulty electrical wiring that left tenants without working stoves, dishwashers, or refrigerators.

“Landlords and property managers have a legal obligation to provide a safe and sanitary living environment for their residents. Tenants at Sheriff Road have been forced to endure horrific, dangerous conditions for far too long, and such blatant disregard for District residents’ health and safety stops today,” said Schwalb. “My office will continue to use our independent authority to stand up for tenants and ensure that all Washingtonians have a safe place to call home.”

The lawsuit also states that the "owner and property manager’s prolonged neglect has allowed persistent illegal drug and firearm activity in and around the property to take place, putting the lives of Sheriff Road tenants and the surrounding community members at risk."

Between February 2021 and March 2025, the District Department of Buildings (DOB) issued over 30 notices of infractions with over 100 violations of the District’s Housing Code and Property Maintenance Code regarding these properties.

In that same time span, MPD also found at least seven people on the property who were dead or murdered.

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Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder called the conditions “unacceptable,” adding, “Residents should be assured that they will be safe in any residence, complex or neighborhood.”

Tenants like Karen Glover said they’ve suffered for years.

"This is the second year that I have been living with terrible, dangerous conditions including a massive roach infestation—my stove doesn't work and mold has accumulated around the door frames of the kitchen,” said Sheriff Road tenant Glover. “I have been living without hot water because of a massive water leak that destroyed my heating tank. I repeatedly emailed the owner and never got a response. I'm grateful to Attorney General Schwalb for bringing this lawsuit and what will hopefully be relief for myself and my neighbors."

Despite being fully aware, the lawsuit states that the defendants have refused to take any action.

Adams gave 7News On Your Side a tour outside and inside the building where he lives.

"There's barely power in the building. People are sharing power. They're sharing power from different houses," Adams said. "The holes in the wall that we put orders in. No one never came out. We live like that for years."

The stench from the standing water still emanated from the basement level.

Contractors working on removing the water told 7News this was, in fact, sewage.

"Right on that line where you see the board, that's how high the water was," Adams said, pointing to where there was flooding.

Assistant Attorney General of D.C. Francesca Gibson works for the office's Housing and Environmental Justice Section.

She told 7News she was appalled by the conditions.

"When I say conditions that are horrific, I'm talking about mountains of trash on the exterior, but also interior common areas. I'm talking about a basement that has repeatedly flooded, the most recent flood amounting to about a foot of standing water that had been unabated for so long it became filled with trash, debris, and was emanating a strong, pungent sewage smell. I'm talking about unsecured doors and window, and no fire safety systems. One tenant, in particular, there was a significant water leak in her kitchen and dining room, which caused her ceilings to partially collapse. That was in 2022. The owner has done nothing to fix that situation," Gibson said, continuing by calling the two buildings a "magnet for drug dealing and gun violence."

Unrelated to the lawsuit, the Department of Buildings arrived at the apartments Thursday.

"It was unfit for folks to live in. It had an accumulation of sewage in the basement," D.C. Department of Buildings Strategic Enforcement Administrator Keith David Parsons said. "The decision was made to issue an order to vacate and to board up the building."

Mikhail Phillips is the owner of the apartment buildings who is being sued.

He told 7News he has tried making the repairs.

"The last four years, I have not been able to collect rent. The laws have been very restrictive. I had a previous owner who has made it very difficult for me to vacate, take control of the building," Phillips said. "How do people expect we will be able to continue to pay maintenance, property taxes, water bills when we have no money coming in?"

Phillips also claims the repairs he has made have been almost immediately undone.

"I have addressed some issues. I have not addressed all issues. We have, since 2020, tried to be proactive and reach out to the OAG and MPD to address squatters, to address damage that's constantly being done after repairs," Phillips said. "There's things we need to address that will be addressed on the property, but it's very difficult to fix things when you have people constantly damaging the things you're fixing."

Both Phillips and Department of Buildings officials told 7News both parties are now working with each other.

"I'm going to be spun as a 'slum lord,' I'm going to be spun as things that I'm not. That was never my intention when I bought these buildings. It was to fix and renovate them. We have been unable to vacate people from this building. The ones that we have vacated, people come back and break the boarded-up properties," Phillips said. "I am here trying to work and, hopefully, be able to work with the OAG office to come to some resolution to be able to fix up the buildings and make them to code, which that was the ultimate goal - to provide affordable housing."

Parsons added: "The owner has been talking to the Department of Buildings, and we understand there are plans to return it to habitability."

OAG's lawsuit accuses Phillips and the other defendants of violating the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), the Tenant Receivership Act (TRA) and the Drug-, Firearm,-or Prostitution- Related Nuisance Abatement Act (Nuisance Act) by:

1. Forcing tenants to endure dangerous conditions, including:

• Water damage from repeated flooding as a direct result of the defendants’ neglect, including a nearly six-month period where the basement was filled with over one foot of toxic, debris-filled water;
• Unsecure doors and windows, enabling squatters to inhabit empty units and making it easier for individuals to engage in illegal activity;
• Fire-safety and electrical hazards;
• Rodent and pest infestations, including rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs;
• Mold contamination, water leaks, and structural damage throughout the buildings; and

2. Extensive trash accumulation in the interior and exterior of the buildings.

3. Facilitating illegal gun and drug activity on the properties. From February 2023 to March 2025, at least seven individuals were found murdered or deceased at the properties. The properties have also been the site of multiple shootings, and MPD has recovered numerous firearms and large quantities of illegal drugs after executing search warrants on multiple occasions.

4. Operating without required licenses or a Certificate of Occupancy.

With this lawsuit, OAG is seeking a court-appointed receiver to develop and execute a plan to address the numerous housing code violations, restitution and damages for harmed tenants, and civil penalties.

The full suit can be found here.

The OAG's website provides several resources for tenants seeking help with landlord-related issues (click here to access). Tenants can also reach out the the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate to help resolve disputes with their landlord (click here).