An email from a regional property manager appears to brush off residents who had asked for discounted rent while the elevator is out of order.
WASHINGTON — Tuesday was the tenth time in nearly two months that Madrona Apartments resident Alexa DiBenedetto got an email from building management with the same maintenance update ─ the only elevator in the eight-story building where she lives was still out of order.
A regional property manager for Borger Residential which owns the property acknowledged 55 outstanding complaints from residents at the Columbia Heights complex, located on 2213 14th St. NW.
“Multiple promises have been made around when the elevator would be in repair again, and every single promise has been broken,” DiBenedetto told WUSA9.
In fact, the first email from Aug. 7, pledged a short-term outage, saying the elevator at the Borger Residential property was, “temporarily out of order.”
And then a similar message on Aug. 18: “The elevator is currently out of service pending a necessary part replacement … contractors have been scheduled to address the issue today.”
And then two more on Aug. 20. And then again, on Sept. 5, Sept. 18, Sept. 26 and most recently two messages on Tuesday, all promising imminent repairs.
“Every single promise has been broken”
The constant updates with no apparent fix has frustrated residents like DiBenedetto at the Columbia Heights complex, who once relied on the elevator to carry groceries to her apartment on the seventh floor or to help lug large packages.
DiBenedetto described the building’s stairwell, which residents have been forced to use as an alternative to the elevator as “dimly lit and poorly ventilated.”
Tuesday’s email from the regional property manager attempted to assuage concerns from residents, like DiBenedetto.
“I feel it’s better to share one clear update with all households rather than reply individually to 55 separate inquiries,” the email reads from Borger regional management reads. “Your property manager has been doing an excellent job navigating this very challenging and unprecedented situation … Please know that we have pursued every possible avenue to expedite the repair.”
The message also appears to brush off residents who had asked for discounted rent while the elevator is down, with management saying they may consider restitution once the repairs are complete.
“I also want to gently clarify that rent covers the full range of services and amenities provided as part of your residency, not only the use of your elevator,” the Borger regional manager’s email from Tuesday reads. “Much like when a car breaks down ─ you continue to make your car payment while it is repaired ─ we are working diligently to get the elevator restored as quickly as possible. While this has been a major inconvenience, rent obligations remain in place as we focus on resolution. Once the elevator is fully repaired, we will carefully review the overall impact this outage has caused and discuss fair concessions at that time.”
On Sept. 11, four weeks into the outage period, DC’s Department of Buildings hit Madrona with a $1,249 fine, citing a failure by property managers to maintain its elevator in “good repair, structurally sound and in sanitary condition,” District records reveals.
Elevator issues at another Northwest DC Borger property
Madrona wasn’t the only Borger-managed complex with reported elevator issues in the past week. Last Friday night, DC Fire and EMS had to remove a woman from Dorchester House Apartments on 16th Street Northwest after her arm was caught between the elevator doors. The woman was taken to the hospital with “critical life-threatening injuries,” according to firefighters.
Rose Dallimore, a resident at Dorchester House said she has worried about using its elevators since she began using a wheelchair in July, telling WUSA9 that she had been relying on her friends to prop the doors open each time she entered the elevator.
Dallimore also told WUSA9 that there were times in recent weeks when Dorchester House’s elevators were all out at the same time.
“There have been a lot of sketchy things with the elevators,” Dallimore told WUSA9 on Saturday.
Another Dorchester House resident, Paola Beristain, reported that maintenance has routinely told residents to “be careful” when using the building’s elevators.
The DC Department of Buildings told WUSA9 on Monday said its inspectors have taken the elevator at Dorchester House out of service. Regarding Madrona, the department directed WUSA9 to a portal with the Sept. 11 fine.
DiBenedetto reached out to WUSA9 about Madrona after learning about the incident at Dorchester House.
“It seems like a pattern of behavior for Borger and elevator issues,” DiBenedetto, who has been living at Madrona for nearly four years, told WUSA9.
WUSA9 has reached out to Borger Residential about the elevator issues at Madrona, including directly to the regional and building property managers who sent emails to DiBenedetto.
WUSA9 has also repeatedly reached out to Borger about Dorchester House about its resident whose arm had been stuck inside the building’s elevator. A receptionist told WUSA9 on Saturday and Sunday to expect a response during business hours. During the week, Borger directed WUSA9 to a voicemail box for a company spokesperson.
As of publication time, no response had been received.