WASHINGTON — The lights came back on at 9 p.m. Friday at Lynnhill Condominiums in Temple Hills, Maryland.
Although residents of the complex said utility costs are included in their rent, Pepco and Washington Gas cut off service because the complex owes them more than $1 million.
Initially, residents were given just 72 hours to move out, but Thursday a judge stepped in to extend that by a full week, to Nov. 4.
Friday, at the urging of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, The Maryland Public Service Commission ordered Pepco and Washington Gas to restore service as soon as possible.
Residents said their utilities were shut off without the minimum 14 days notice required by Maryland law.
An attorney for the condo association told WTOP Friday night that Pepco was restoring service, but getting the gas back on would take longer.
WTOP also spoke with Maryland State Senator C. Anthony Muse, who has been working to try to help the residents.
“That’s some good news out of this, and now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that we can go all the way with this, and figure out a cost effective, long-term plan that will keep these folks in their homes,” Muse said.
A court hearing in the matter is scheduled for Wednesday.
A written statement from Pepco issued Friday night reads:
“Pepco received an order from the Maryland Public Service Commission this evening and is currently reviewing the order. The disconnection of electric service to any of our customers is a last resort that we only take if all other options have been exhausted. We care about our customers and are always willing to work with them to resolve issues involving their electric service. We can’t discuss specifics of this case due to state privacy regulations but we are always willing to make payment arrangements if our customers have trouble paying their bill. We also support a number of programs that help reduce and cover energy costs and there are a number of free programs available in Maryland that can help customers save energy and money. We encourage the customers affected to contact their property management company.”
