Construction Maison

About 100 people were ordered out of two squalid Temple Hills condominium buildings Tuesday , but a group of defiant residents said they are not leaving because they have nowhere to go. Fire officials warned the manager, owners and tenants of Lynnhill Condominiums last week about multiple fire-code violations, including towering piles of garbage in trash chutes and trash storage rooms , inoperable fire doors and a broken alarm system . The seven-story twin-tower complex on Good Hope Avenue has struggled with finances and repairs for more than a decade. Utility companies have periodically shut off water and power over unpaid bills, and the Prince George’s County government has taken the condominium association to court repeatedly over code violations. “We want to avoid an Oakland or London situation,” said Thomas Himler, a top aide to County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), referring to two recent deadly fires at decrepit buildings in those cities. “This is a life and safe...

showing damage left from a fire in early July." /> Natasha Tosca in her building's hallway, showing damage left from a fire in early July. View Full Caption Kate Pastor LONGWOOD — Persistent fire code violations at a South Bronx building where a July electrical fire injured a dozen people have left tenants terrified for their safety. Residents are fed up with landlord Hiram Colon , and say their next move may be asking a state judge to take the building away from him. More than a month after the fire, the building at 851 E. 163rd St. still has 225 open violations , according to records from the Department of Housing and Preservation, and tenants believe the fire could have been avoided if the problems they had been complaining about for years had been fixed. Elisa Garcia, 47, lives with her four children in a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor. The electricity has gone out in most of her apartment 19 times since the beginning of July, she said, speaking throu...

Jennifer Johnson was freezing cold and so was her 5-month-old baby. It was January, and the heat in her apartment wouldn 't go above 60. When the wind blew outside, her drapes fluttered inside . She called the maintenance department at Lakecrest Park Apartments in Roosevelt Park . The man who answered was rude, then crude, then hung up on her. Desperate and shivering, Johnson called the police. The result? Inspectors were called who issued citations, city leaders changed the ordinance to allow stricter enforcement of building codes and the apartment complex's East Coast owners became "cooperative" with city officials . And what about the apartment's management and maintenance department she dealt with? All fired. It's unusual for officials of any city to move so quickly to step into a tenant-landlord dispute. But with only a few large apartment complexes in the one-square-mile city, inspectors and leaders decided change was needed fast. A lease nightmar...

WINSTON-SALEM- The city of Winston-Salem says it's stepping in to deal with problems at the Rolling Hills apartment complex . City officials say they're going to start assessing heavy fines over problems like leaky toilets and other issues at the apartments off Martin Luther King drive . For years the units at Rolling Hills apartments have gone through inspections and Winston- Salem city leader say for years a majority of them failed. City Councilman Derwin Montgomery said the city had been fair to ownership. "They're the worst I've seen in Rolling Hills over the time I've been on council and seen some of the issues we've had there,” said Montgomery. On Thursday, they made it clear they won't stand for negligent property managers after 110 units went through inspections, yet again. "Out of those, more than 90 of those units found violations of minimum housing code . Orders have been sent out to the owners to repair those units,” said Montgom...