From the Mayor’s Office Friday:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) announced several new initiatives to enhance safety reviews of multifamily and commercial properties in the District. These initiatives include mandating proactive reporting of unsafe structural conditions, increasing the scrutiny of engineering, and implementing real-time reporting of required inspections. These actions are in response to the recent building collapses in Surfside, Florida and 916 Kennedy Street NW.

“The tragedy in Florida and the frightening collapse of a building here in DC have created a new sense of urgency to find these problems before they put people in danger,” said Mayor Bowser. “These initiatives will establish an early warning system to catch potentially unsafe building conditions and keep our community safe.”

DCRA is taking the following seven actions: Read More

Photo by Diane Krauthamer

“Dear PoPville,

So hopefully the tragedy of the Surfside Champlain towers has few implications for dc residents (right?), but still curious to know if there are public records of dc building inspections, and how often such inspections must legally be performed. My building is old, but I think our board is pretty proactive about this kind of stuff. Still…can’t hurt to be sure.”

From DCRA:

“Owning a home requires maintenance, repairs and renovations. How do you know if you are hiring the best contractor to do the job? To help District residents and businesses hire contractors and building professionals with more confidence, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is introducing the new DCRA Contractor Rating System.

DCRA frequently hears the real life nightmares of District residents, oftentimes senior citizens, who pay for renovations and repairs, but don’t receive the work for which they have paid. Unfortunately, the options for recourse after the fact are sometimes limited, and always a headache. The DCRA Contractor Rating System arms residents with information to hire contractors who possess a proven track record of proper licensing, construction and inspections, thus preventing lots of pain and hassle.

The DCRA Contractor Rating System provides unprecedented free access to an inventory of contractors, architects, and other building professionals.

Building on our expressed policy of transparency, the DCRA Contractor Rating System uses objective data to assign a rating using between one and five stars to building professionals doing business in the District. 

Benefits of the DCRA Contractor Rating System Read More

Photo by Eric P.

“Dear PoPville,

Have any DC homeowners applied for/received a permit to install a fence in their front yard? What are the steps, do I need to hire anyone or can I do it myself through DCRA, about how long does it take, and about how much does it cost? Any other wisdom appreciated!”

From DCRA:

“Today, we are pleased to introduce the DCRA Permit Wizard, a new customer-friendly application that modernizes the way our customers start their residential building projects. It’s intuitive, simple and easy to use. Read More

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caitlin Faw

“Dear PoPville,

I’m trying to find info on the DCRA website but am not having any luck – probably because I don’t know the proper terms for my issue.

We’re in a row house with a detached garage behind it. My anecdotal understanding is that we can keep a full structure where the garage is since it was built before the zoning laws changed. Unfortunately, the garage is falling down and we need to demolish it for safety’s sake but we can’t afford to rebuild it at the moment. Read More

Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

“Dear PoPville,

I’m a new homeowner in DC and live in a rowhouse (in between to other houses). With all the rain the last few weeks, we noticed a leak in our ceiling. We had a contractor come and check out the roof. He even brought a hose to spray the whole roof to see where the leak was stemming from. Upon testing, he found it was actually the issue is stemming the attached home next door whose roof/chimney isn’t properly sealed. The water comes through their chimney and into our shared wall where it collects and leaks into our house. Read More

“Dear PoPville,

I’m trying to apply for a BBL for my short-term rental- (additional bedrooms on Airbnb)
The licensing department of dcra told me that I need to go through the following steps: register my ssn with Tax and Revenue, Have a Clean Hands Certificate, and get a Certificate of Occupancy. The problem is that dcra does not issue CofO for single family homes. They told me that I can apply for a Home Occupation Permit- but that will require a “change of use” of the property to a Bed and Breakfast. Read More