Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, following an investigation in which the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) worked closely with the District’s Department of Buildings (DOB), today sued the developers and former owners of a newly-built apartment building in Ward 7 for performing shoddy, illegal construction, failing to pass required safety inspections, and endangering tenants at the property.

OAG alleges that the developers and former owners of 5821 Dix Street NE, a 40-unit property, never properly completed construction, failed to pass basic safety inspections, and illegally rented apartments to tenants despite knowing that the building lacked a fire alarm, had exposed wires in hallways, was full of holes and debris, and was not water tight or weather tight. The lawsuit also details how the property’s former owners, Kiihomes, LLC, Mohammad Chaudhry, Tayyaba Samina, and Muhammad Qureshi, ignored repeated DOB orders to correct unsafe conditions, even after tenants moved in. OAG is seeking a court order to force the building’s former owners to pay restitution to tenants.

“Developers and property owners have a legal obligation to ensure their buildings meet basic safety standards before anyone moves in,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “For over a year, the former owners of 5821 Dix Street NE not only ignored regulations designed to protect the lives and health of District residents, but repeatedly defied DOB orders to rectify unsafe conditions. I appreciate DOB’s hard work in helping us to ensure District residents are safe in their homes by holding developers accountable for putting profits over people and endangering tenants with their lawlessness.”

“The Department of Buildings’ mission is to ensure tenants in Washington, DC have safe, habitable housing. Any landlord who breaks District law by renting uncompleted and unsafe buildings puts tenants in harm’s way and commits a deep breach of trust that deserves the highest possible sanction,” said DOB Director Brian J. Hanlon. “Under Mayor Bowser's leadership, we are committed to protecting tenants from the actions of such landlords by using all enforcement tools at our disposal. The Office of the Attorney General is one of our valued partners for enforcing housing law in the District.”

Hanlon added that the agency is working with a successor landlord that plans to remediate and complete construction up to full code compliance as soon as possible. “DOB is willing to work with property owners through programs such as DOB’s Alternative Resolution to help get their properties into compliance,” he said.

5821 Dix Street NE is a newly built 40-unit rental apartment building in Ward 7. The property was an empty lot when it was purchased by Kiihomes, LLC in 2021. The company, which is owned by Chaudhry, Samina and Qureshi, began constructing an apartment building and completed its interiors and framing in late 2023—but critical parts of the building, including the exterior siding, elevator, fire alarm, and sprinkler system, were either poorly constructed or remained incomplete. Kiihomes began renting apartments in the building to tenants between fall 2023 and spring 2024, despite failing to meet basic standards for housing in the District, and failing to obtain the legally required Certificate of Occupancy and Basic Business License.

In June 2024, DOB and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) started receiving complaints from tenants at 5821 Dix Street NE. An initial DOB inspection found that the building’s exterior siding was not watertight, the elevator was broken, and the hallways were filthy and littered with trash and debris. When DOB and FEMS reinspected the building, they discovered that it did not have a working fire alarm and sprinkler system. They required the building to maintain a 24-hour-a-day fire watch team to remain in place until alarms were repaired.

Between June 2024 and July 2025, DOB cited the building’s former owners 18 times for illegal housing conditions and four times for illegal construction; documented Kiihomes performing illegal construction while under a Stop Work Order; and served the company with three Orders to Correct Unsafe Conditions. The owners disregarded the orders and did not complete the work required to fix the vast majority of the unsafe conditions prior to selling the property in July 2025.

OAG’s lawsuit against the former owners of 5821 Dix Street NE—Kiihomes, LLC, Chaudhry, Samina, and Qureshi—allege that they violated the District’s Construction Codes (including the Building Code and Property Maintenance Code) and consumer protection law by:

• Performing dangerous and illegal construction throughout the entire building: DOB cited the property owners for performing construction without obtaining the required permits and creating unsafe conditions throughout the entire building. Even after DOB issued a Stop Work Order, illegal construction continued. The building’s owners still have not obtained the required permits.
   
• Failing to pass required safety inspections before renting to tenants: Under DC law, a new building must pass basic inspections to ensure it is safe and complies with the Construction Codes before anyone uses or occupies it. The building’s former owners never completed the basic inspection process or obtained the required Certificate of Occupancy before renting apartments to tenants. They also failed to obtain a Basic Business License, which requires landlords to demonstrate that their properties meet the standards of DC’s Property Maintenance Code.
   
• Subjecting tenants to dangerous conditions: The building’s owners rented apartments to tenants—and falsely represented that the building is safe and habitable—despite shoddy construction, dangerous conditions, and a lack of required safety inspections. Tenants are currently living at the building despite dangerous violations of DC’s Property Maintenance Code, including improperly installed electrical equipment and wiring, lack of weather resistant and water tight siding, windows, and doors, damaged interior walls, and other hazards. The building’s former owners repeatedly ignored DOB orders to correct these violations.

With this lawsuit, OAG is seeking restitution for tenants, as well as civil penalties, attorney’s fees, and the costs of the litigation.

The complaint is available here.

This matter is being handled by Argatonia Weatherington, Special Counsel for Housing and Property Maintenance Code Enforcement.

OAG’s Enforcement Authority
OAG exercises its enforcement authority under several District statutes and regulations to protect tenants, including the Tenant Receivership Act and the Construction Codes, which gives OAG authority to force landlords to fix health and safety issues at rental properties, and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which protects consumers—including tenants—from deceptive and unfair business practices.

Resources for Tenants
OAG works to ensure that residents across the District have access to safe and affordable housing and holds landlords accountable if they violate the law. Access OAG’s resources to help renters for guidance on how to report problems with your landlord or your housing conditions. Tenants may send complaints about your housing conditions to HousingJustice@dc.gov.