Attorney General Schwalb Sues Owner and Manager of Ward 5 Affordable Apartment Building for Extreme and Pervasive Disrepair

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today sued the owner and manager of Delta Pearl, a large affordable apartment building located at 1400 Florida Ave NE, for extreme neglect at the property that is actively endangering the health and safety of tenants. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found evidence of severe and pervasive housing code violations at the building, which is owned and managed by developer Buwa Binitie through two of his companies.

"The conditions at Delta Pearl are shocking, as has been ownership’s refusal to promptly address them," said Attorney General Schwalb. "This extreme level of disrepair and neglect, and the health risks it poses to tenants, are unacceptable. We are suing to force Binitie and his companies to make critical safety repairs and to do so immediately." 

"Just two short years ago, I helped cut the ribbon on 1400 Florida Ave NE and welcomed neighbors into a beautiful space that was funded with tens of millions of dollars in tax credits and public financing. What has happened since then defies reason," said Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker. "There is simply no excuse for the disturbing and rapid decline of this property. My team has spent months escalating resident concerns to numerous District agencies, and I am grateful for Attorney General Schwalb's leadership in holding Buwa Binitie and Faria Management accountable for the deplorable living conditions these neighbors have been subjected to. This is an important step in the fight to ensure that all housing across the District is safe, clean, and habitable."

"The Department of Buildings has worked closely with tenants, community leaders, and agency partners to assess and document the housing conditions at the Delta Pearl, and its nearly 200 unabated violations are extremely concerning,” said Department of Buildings Director Brian Hanlon. “The law is clear -- a property owner has the ultimate responsibility for maintaining a safe, secure, and code-compliant property. With Delta Pearl, DOB supports the Office of the Attorney General's request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction if all involved parties are failing to step up and as a result, the safety of innocent tenants is at risk."

1400 Florida Ave NE (also known as Delta Pearl) is a 10-story, 166-unit apartment building located in Ward 5. Fifty-one percent of its units are designated as affordable housing for individuals earning below 80 percent of the area’s median income (AMI). The property, built as affordable senior housing in 1979, was sold to Binitie in 2022, who redeveloped it. The building is currently owned by Delta 2 Owner LLC and managed by DP Management LLC (doing business as Faria Management). Buwa Binitie, founder and CEO of real estate conglomerate Dumas Collective, owns both Delta 2 Owner LLC and Faria Management, which owns properties across the District.

OAG’s investigation and inspections by the Department of Buildings (DOB) have documented extremely dangerous and widespread housing code violations throughout Delta Pearl for over a year.

Tenants at Delta Pearl are currently living with:

• No air conditioning. The entire building’s air conditioning system stopped working on July 1, 2026. Tenants have been left without any ability to cool their homes during the hottest days of the summer. Binitie has not even attempted to repair the AC system.
   
• No working elevators in the ten-story building. The building’s two elevators have frequently been out of service since at least December 2025. Both elevators have been completely out of service since July 2026, leaving parents to carry children up and down stairs and tenants with health conditions to struggle on the stairs in the heat.
   
• Garbage, human waste, and debris in the stairwells. With the elevators out of service, tenants have been forced to use stairwells that are unsanitary and dangerous. DOB inspectors have observed feces, urine, trash, and debris throughout the stairwells.
   
• No working gate, locks on external doors, or locks in internal stairwells. The exterior gate at the property has been broken since at least August 2025. While the building had a key fob system in place to control access to the building’s entrance and to exit stairwells on residential floors, the system broke down in February 2026. Repairs have not been made.
   
• Non-tenants sleeping in common areas and occupying vacant apartments. Binitie and his companies have failed to properly secure Delta Pearl and have allowed non-tenants to access the building. Despite the tenants voicing serious concerns for their own safety, Binitie has failed to take reasonable steps to investigate or remove these individuals.
   
• Trash build-up all over the property that has caused rodent and insect infestations. During the past year, Binitie and his companies have failed to adequately dispose of trash at Delta Pearl, allowing trash to back up the trash chute and accumulate in trash rooms and hallways, attracting rodents, roaches, and other insects. One tenant reported the trash chute being full all the way up to the seventh floor because no one came to pick up the trash.
   
• Other dangerous housing code violations, including:
  • Water damage to apartment floors, walls, and ceilings consistent with ongoing, unrepaired leaks.
     
  • Extensive rodent infestations in common areas.
     
  • Exposed electrical wiring.
     
  • Inoperable fire safety facilities and equipment.
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  • Unrepaired fire damage from a fire in February 2026.

With its lawsuit, OAG is seeking a Temporary Restraining Order to address the most urgent issues at the property, a Preliminary Injunction to ensure all necessary repairs are made, restitution for harmed tenants, and civil penalties.

The complaint is available here.

This matter is being handled by assistant attorneys general Camila Ramirez, Meredith George, and Emily Richard, paralegals Althea Harris and Conny Tello, and investigators Cullen Hamilton and Willie Haynes. It is supervised by Assistant Chief of the Housing and Environmental Justice Section Michael Maurer, and Chief Joanna Wasik.
 

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. If you are a District tenant and have a landlord issue, please contact our Consumer and Tenant Response team at 202-442-9828, consumer.protection@dc.gov, or oag.dc.gov/complaint.

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