Those who live at the Heather Hill Apartments by OneWall in Temple Hills, Maryland, describe terrible living conditions and indifferent management. Maryland’s attorney general announced Wednesday he’s taking the owners to court.
The issues, according to numerous residents, range from plumbing to electrical systems to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that don’t work. One complained about the smell that came into her apartment from the laundry room. Another mentioned vermin running rampant.
“The conditions are terrible,” said one woman as she left her home Wednesday. “I had pipes burst in my house. I’ve had where they put the same piece of carpet back down on the floor that was full of mold and gook from the flooding. I have had peeling in my bathtubs. I have a ceiling that’s bubbling,” because of the pipes above her room.
“We have mice, we have roaches,” she added. “I have a stain from a leak over top of me that’s been in my house for two and a half years. I have put in tickets for them to come and fix it, repair it, paint it, whatever they need to do to fix it. It has not been done.”
She said it’s never done. Another woman said she can’t wait to move away. Another said there’s no where around the area that’s any better.
“I’m not happy with the conditions in which I’m living,” she said. But, in her mind, “these issues are everywhere in Prince George’s County.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said what tenant and her neighbors go through is really bad, and he’s seeking to recover the money the owners, Heather Hill Property Company LLC, took from tenants through “unfair, abusive and deceptive practices.”
“Families at their property had to endure deplorable living conditions, including mushrooms growing out of the floors and cabinets, air conditioning, heating systems that don’t work, and mice and roaches, rodents, roaming throughout their homes,” Brown said. “This landlord advertised renovated one-, two- and three-bedroom units, but what they didn’t do is tell prospective tenants that the property was not licensed or about the code violations, the infestations, the inoperable stoves, the roof leaks, the refrigerators in disrepair.”
A key part of that is the licensing issues he said still haven’t been addressed.
“This will be costly for them,” Brown said.
Why?
“In Maryland, an unlicensed property owner cannot collect rent,” he said.
And it might be awhile before that can change for this particular complex, since a license won’t be issued until the complex meets all fire, health and safety codes in the county.
Brown said his legal action also seeks to force the company to stop charging tenants rent, and to stop renting any vacant units.
Tara Jackson, the chief administrative officer in Prince George’s County, welcomed the actions taken by the state.
“Since April of 2022, Heather Hill has been cited by our Department of Permits, Inspections and Enforcement for numerous violations you’ve already heard,” Jackson said. “Infestation of bats, rodents and roaches, roof leaks and rodent entry holes, leak stains and peeling paint on the walls, fire code violations and mold in the floor and walls.”
And she said the complex might even be the reason why students at a nearby school are reporting health issues.
“To put it bluntly, Heather Hill apartments has been a repeated bad actor,” Jackson said.
WTOP reached out to Heather Hill for comment, but has not heard back. Brown said the case will go to a courtroom in February 2025.
“During the course of that adjudication, liability will be determined, the amount of damages will be determined, the penalties will be determined,” Brown said. “Part of that determination is what will be restitution or what goes back to residents.”
And he encouraged residents who have issues with their landlords to pursue the matters in court, and go to the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
“An unlicensed property owner is prohibited from collecting rent in the state of Maryland. Nor can they retaliate against renters who are pursuing their rights,” Brown said. “We have heard of renters who are being threatened with eviction, and that’s unlawful. It’s unlawful in Prince George’s County, and it’s unlawful throughout many of the counties in the state of Maryland.”
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