BABY, IT’S COLD INSIDE

2025 Dec 08

On Wednesday. December 3rd, I went to the rental office and personally informed the leasing agent (KS) that our heating unit would shut off during the night. The following afternoon, engineers came to our door, but we were both out. Then, the office called me at work and we set an appointment time for 9:00 on Friday morning.

I waited all the next morning, but no one came. I went to work at noon and when I got home that evening, the heat had apparently shut off all day and the home was very cold. We called emergency maintenance. Unfortunately, the engineer was unable to restart our heating unit but fortunately, he procured two space heaters that kept us from freezing to death in our own home.

We are grateful for the space heaters, but we do expect Residential One to repair our heating unit promptly.

2025 Dec 09

Yesterday after learning that the contractors could not come back to the apartment despite the dog being secure inside, we confirmed that they would be here tomorrow, instead, at 10:00 AM.

It is now half past noon and I have been waiting for two and a half hours.  

I initially came into the rental office and reported this problem on December 3rd.  We have spent a week, now, without heat and in a two-story apartment, have only been given three little 9” space heaters and the apartment gets a bit colder every day, as does the weather.

This is particularly upsetting because I took a day of work off to ensure that the restoration of the heat could and would be restored. 

2025 Dec 11

The contractors arrived at 2:45 PM yesterday, nearly 3 hours after their anticipated start time.  I say this to underscore the difficulty of trying to manage this (illegal) situation because we have been without heat for over a week despite this being the coldest December in DC on record for over 10 years. 

When the contractor entered the apartment, he saw one look at the unit and left; because it was not the proper one his company had installed.

I am baffled that a mistake like that can even happen, with scheduling.  ESPECIALLY because we are entering our second weekend without heat.

It is Thursday and that leaves little to nothing to be desired about my hopes that this will get fixed in the next day. 

What is going to happen now?  What day and time will the contractors be here to fix our heat?

If this cannot come to a resolution before the weekend, please be advised that the office of the DC Attorney General has an emergency hotline for circumstances like this, as it is an abhorrent way to subject tenants to such conditions.  Especially your elder and disabled tenant who is waiting for handicap accommodation as ordered by the court over 3 years ago.

If I do not receive a response, again, to this email I will look into other avenues for relief.  

It is a TRAVESTY that this is happening.

2025 Dec 11

We need to have a serious conversation about KS and how she interacts with the people of this property.

I am not complaining just of her shortcomings and failures to submit any of my household work orders one week PLUS late, causing me and my disabled father to lose heat for an entire weekend and more; but because her behavior is endemic and it bleeds out and infects and affects the morale of this residence in a HIGHLY negative way.

KS is not interested in managing or cultivating solutions.  She spends her time being argumentative with residents, berating maintenance staff to the point that they speak badly of her outside of the building (and other residents here, and subsequently complain as well).  Yesterday the day before, one of my neighbors left the office incensed and IN ACTUAL TEARS because of the belligerently aggressive way this woman talks to people.

She is beyond unprofessional: she is rude, unkind and totally unhelpful, above all.  

2025 Dec 13

Leasing Agent KS needs to learn how to schedule appointments for tenants who work. Telling me at 10 o’clock that contractors will arrive between nine and five does not qualify as an appointment

We can’t work with you if you refuse to work with us.

2025 Dec 16

After two failed appointments, a contractor arrived Friday (Dec 12) three hours after his expected arrival time. He worked on the unit for 2.5 hours, finally announcing that the unit had been improperly installed. I was told that the contractors would arrive between 9:00 and 5:00. Consequently, I stayed home all day for another ‘no-show’.