A lawsuit filed by the District accuses the owners of two Ward 1 apartment buildings of turning years of alleged neglect into a public safety disaster, saying their failure to repair hazardous conditions culminated in a gas explosion that injured a tenant, displaced more than 50 residents and left one building uninhabitable nearly two years later.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is seeking restitution for tenants, repayment of the $260,299 the District spent on emergency housing, civil penalties and court orders requiring the owners to bring both buildings into compliance with District housing laws.
The lawsuit names John Steininger and the Estate of Herminia Steininger, alleging the owners allowed apartment buildings at 1433 Columbia Road NW and 1841 Lamont Street NW to deteriorate for years while ignoring hazardous conditions that threatened tenants’ health and safety. Neither could be reached by The Informer for comment.
According to the complaint, District inspectors cited the properties for more than 120 housing code violations and assessed more than $140,000 in fines, yet the violations remained uncorrected.
“These landlords neglected their properties and legal obligations, forcing their tenants to live in deplorable conditions and leading to a dangerous explosion that displaced dozens of residents and cost the District hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Schwalb said.
The complaint alleges the Columbia Road property accumulated 71 housing code violations and $77,617 in fines, while the Lamont Street building received 53 violations and $62,573 in penalties. Inspectors documented broken windows, defective plumbing, rodent infestations, hazardous electrical wiring, water leaks, inoperable smoke and fire alarms, deteriorating stairways and hazardous lead-based paint, according to court filings. The District alleges none of those violations had been corrected when the lawsuit was filed.
“Keeping D.C.’s existing housing supply safe and habitable is a critical part of addressing our housing affordability crisis,” Schwalb continued. “We’re suing to get these units back into working condition and secure money back for the District and tenants who were harmed.”
‘Landlord Neglect … Causes Chaos and Grief for Tenants’
The lawsuit traces the Columbia Road building’s problems to Sept. 20, 2024, when an explosion tore through the 33-unit apartment building.
According to the complaint, first responders found extensive structural damage to several apartments and a stairwell after the blast. One tenant suffered first- and second-degree burns to her face, torso and limbs.
Fire investigators later concluded that the explosion originated from the gas stove inside the tenant’s apartment after she attempted to light it to prepare a meal. Investigators also documented reports that the tenant had previously complained about problems with the stove, but the owners allegedly failed to investigate or make repairs.
District officials declared the building unsafe for occupancy, shut off electricity and gas service, and ordered all residents to leave. More than 50 people were displaced, and the building remains uninhabitable, according to the complaint.
Photographs included with the lawsuit show collapsed interior walls, blown-out door frames and extensive structural damage inside apartments after the explosion.
The Office of the Tenant Advocate paid $260,299 to provide emergency housing for displaced tenants. The lawsuit alleges the owners neither challenged nor reimbursed the District after receiving notices seeking repayment.
“After the 2024 explosion, the District government led an immediate and aggressive multi-agency response to protect residents,” Department of Buildings (DOB) Director Brian Hanlon said. “We evacuated and inspected the building, provided no-cost emergency accommodations, translated resources for non-English speakers, and connected victims to the help they needed to rebuild their lives.”
Hanlon added that his department is proud to support this lawsuit, which he said would help protect Washingtonians by sending a clear message that negligent landlords will be held accountable.
“DOB continues to work closely with our partners to ensure that tenants understand their rights to safe housing and that owners face the consequences of not living up to their legal responsibility,” Hanlon stated.
Beyond recovering emergency housing costs, the lawsuit alleges the owners violated the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act by representing apartments as safe and habitable while allegedly failing to maintain them in compliance with housing, property maintenance and fire codes. Schwalb is asking the court to order repairs, award restitution and damages to affected tenants, impose civil penalties and prohibit future violations.
“The Attorney General’s action today is about holding landlords accountable to both tenants and District residents. Landlord neglect of poor housing conditions causes chaos and grief for tenants – and drains taxpayer dollars that are badly needed elsewhere,” said Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve.
She emphasized how the Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA) helps residents like those affected by the challenges at the Columbia Road building.
“The OTA’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program provides displaced tenants with emergency housing when the government has to close an apartment building due to uninhabitable conditions. When the District can recoup these expenses from derelict landlords, this helps to ensure that the OTA can continue to assist affected tenants the next time a building closure causes displacement.”
