Life at the Washington at Chatham, has become a daily struggle for many residents. The malfunctioning elevators are causing us not only inconvenience but distress and isolation. On numerous occasions, we have witnessed our neighbors—some with mobility issues—stranded on various floors for hours at a time, unable to access essential services or attend to their daily needs.

When we moved into this building, we trusted that basic amenities such as functioning elevators would be a standard feature.  However, at the Washington at Chatham the elevators have been consistently unreliable and dwindling to the point where residents were forced to use the freight elevator, which has recently also been out of service as well.  This has left the residents to grapple with inconvenience and safety hazards.  This is especially true for residents with disabilities or medical conditions that necessitate regular and urgent access to external facilities. These circumstances infringe upon our rights to safety, accessibility, and a dignified living environment as per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

We are calling on the management of The Washington at Chatham to rectify these systemic issues.  It is imperative that residents receive the services for which they are paying.  Failure to maintain essential services is a violation of the landlords obligation to maintain a habitable premises.  A tenant's obligation to pay rent is mutually dependent on express covenants of a landlord to repair and a material breach of the landlord's covenant to repair relieves a tenant from his obligation to pay rent.  Management has consistently failed to repair the elevators in a meaningful way.  Just today the freight elevator was out of service all day was "repaired" at 4:24pm and then broken again at 4:57.  There are four available elevators and for the better part of a year they have been in a constant state of disrepair.  The condition was allowed to worsen to the point where only the freight elevator, which residents aren't even supposed to be using, was the only available option for tenant use. 

The solution is clear: conduct an immediate inspection and repair of all elevators within the building and the tenants obligation to pay rent will be restored. The safety and well-being of the residents must be a priority.  This is accomplished by fulfilling the duty to repair, adhering to the ADA guidelines, and showing respect for tenant rights.

I urge all fellow residents to sign this petition. Let's make The Washington at Chatham a safe and habitable place for everyone together. Your signature can make a significant impact in your community. Stand with us to demand accountability. Please consider signing this petition today.

Sincerely,

Your Neighbor