“We have a developer in our neighborhood who came in and flipped a house on only two postcard permits.”

“Dear PoPville,

I am interested to know if any of your readers have suggestions on how to handle a situation. We have a developer in our neighborhood (Kingman Park) who came in and flipped a house on only two postcard permits. This includes adding two full bathrooms, an HVAC, moving the main plumbing line and shifting the entire kitchen, moving the electrical, gas, and plumbing. After complaining to DCRA for almost a month, during which time the house was actually listed on the market/came under contract, the city finally issued a Stop Work Order.

DCRA assured us that the realtor would have to make the Stop Work Order known to the new potential buyer, but honestly we are not sure. Since the order has been put on the house, the developer has covered the windows and started doing work again inside the house.

It is possible that the developer did everything perfect. But considering that the developer set up an LLC strictly for this property, didn’t register/license the LLC properly, didn’t do any of the proper permits for the work, and now continue to work during a Stop Work Order, we doubt it. Furthermore, the associated owners of the LLC appear to have done this before in the district. This developer is clearly minimizing liability while maximizing profits to the detriment of the future home owner.

We are a bit of a loss as to what to do, multiple neighbors have been making these issues know to DCRA, the Ward 6 reps, and the mayor’s office, yet they seem hamstrung to act. Do we keep trying to bug DCRA? The mayor’s office? We would love any advice on how to handle this situation.

Also if you happen to be purchasing a home in Kingman Park, we highly recommend you check the PIVs system for stop work orders.”