Statement on Buchanan Gardens and Columbia Grove Inspections and our Commitment Going Forward 

April 21, 2022

APAH is committed to providing high quality, healthy, affordable places for our families to live that are both safe and well maintained. It is our mission to promote stability and opportunity for our residents, and to advocate with the people and communities we serve. In February 2022, at the request of Arlington County, APAH participated in a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection of two of our properties, Buchanan Gardens and Columbia Grove Apartments. To prepare for these inspections, APAH property management partner S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. (SLN) conducted an inspection in October 2021. Additionally, a third-party contractor was hired by SLN to inspect all units in these two communities to ensure compliance with the HQS inspection standards.

From the preliminary findings, we learned that 23 of our inspected 261 units (or 9%) initially failed inspection. For the units that were impacted, a majority of the issues were resolved within 24 hours, with the rest being actively addressed to ensure our residents have as little disruption as possible. While the results of the inspection are good by industry standards, we believe we can do even better.

Going forward, APAH is taking proactive measures to further refine our property portfolio performance. We are excited to welcome a new director of asset management to lead continuous improvement efforts and manage the ongoing inspections of the remainder of our property portfolio. APAH utilizes a capital reserve to address any property issues, allowing us to quickly resolve findings to our residents’ satisfaction.

In closing, APAH remains unwavering in our commitment to our residents, their health, and their wellbeing. We are better positioned today more than ever to deliver on our mission, and will remain engaged with Arlington County, our residents, and stakeholders to ensure every unit impacted by this inspection or in any future inspection is fully compliant.

For more information about APAH’s efforts to support our residents, visit our dedicated web page here.

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