Abu Conteh says he and other residents of the Enclave Silver Spring apartment complex “sleep with one eye open,” anxious and afraid that there may be a gas or water leak, issues with pests or a crime happening outside of their apartment doors.
On Saturday, Conteh along with other members of the newly formed Enclave Tenant Association, of which Conteh is board president, are expected to rally outside of the complex to demand livable conditions and renters’ protections. They also are calling for the Montgomery County government to the exercise its Right of First Refusal to take ownership of the three-building complex.
The rally will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the complex at 11225 Oak Leaf Drive.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 8) and County Councilmembers Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5) and Will Jawando (D-At-large) are expected to attend the rally. Other officials including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, County Executive Marc Elrich and state Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20) have been invited, according to the release.
In an email statement Friday, Mink said her office has been working with Enclave residents and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs for more than a year to hold the Enclave’s ownership accountable for addressing code violations. “These families deserve clean, safe, accessible living conditions, and I am just as frustrated as they are at the lack of meaningful improvement,” Mink said.
According to a press release from Progressive Maryland, the Enclave is slated to be sold to a Miami-based real estate agency, Beach Hill Capital. Progressive Maryland, a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes racial, social, economic and environmental justice, is supporting the tenant association’s efforts to improve living conditions and organize its protest rallies.
Last week, County Executive Marc Elrich (D) signed amendments to the county’s Right of First Refusal Law, which allows the county, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County or any certified tenant organization to be offered the opportunity to buy a rental property before the owner can sell to a private property.
Under the changes, the county can now assign the right of first refusal to qualified affordable housing partners who are interested in purchasing a multifamily rental building in order to preserve the affordability of the apartments and prevent displacement of existing tenants.
Saturday’s rally is the second to be held at the complex, where in recent years also had documented more than 31,000 housing code violations as well as illegal rent increases.
Since residents formed the tenant’s association in October, more than 200 leaseholders across the complex’s three buildings have signed up as members, Conteh said. The group has a list of demands including improved living conditions, faster maintenance response times, implementation of safety measures and effective pest control.
“The experience has been horrible. There is nothing good to say about the Enclave. The conditions are not livable at all,” Conteh said, noting frequent elevator breakdowns and a lack of security.
According to the Progressive Maryland release, complex owners Hampshire Properties have “failed to provide adequate safety measures, accessibility, requirements such as functioning elevators, pest control and timely maintenance; and impose unjust rent increases.”
Hampshire Properties did not immediately respond Friday to MoCo360’s email requests for comment.
Conteh said he hopes that the county will step in but said whether the county chooses to buy the complex or another entity buys it is not the association’s main concern.
“Whoever’s coming to buy it has to know that this is what’s happening over here and we as tenants are not going to sit by and watch somebody else take it over, come here and prioritize profit over us,” he said. “… So whoever is coming to buy us should know these are the issues and they should come prepared to face these issues and solve them for us.”
In October, Enclave residents held a rally urging local elected officials to aid them in their fight for improved living conditions. Elrich and Charkoudian attended the October rally and vowed to help ensure tenants at the Enclave would have safer and healthier living conditions.
“We need to change the equation. You have the right to be safe. We’ll look for ways to ensure landlords don’t do what they have done so far,” Elrich told rally-goers holding posters with phrases like “Tenant Power” and “People over profit” at the time.
