Attorney General Peter Nickles announced today that the District has filed a consumer protection action against condominium developer Charles Jenkins, charging that he sold condominium units to District purchasers without disclosing or repairing serious defects. The attorney general’s complaint asks the Court to permanently stop Jenkins, and corporations under his control, from engaging in future violations of the District’s consumer protection law.

According to the District’s complaint, the condominium buildings were renovated by Jenkins and his companies using shoddy workmanship. Jenkins then offered condominiums for sale to the public without disclosing that the units had serious structural and maintenance defects and without posting a bond or letter of credit with the District to cover the potential repair costs, as required by District law.  Many significant defects were discovered by purchasers only after they had moved into their units. 

The District alleges that Jenkins refused to repair defective units, and that his failure to post the required bonds with the District left the new homeowners with no option but to pay for repairs out-of-pocket or to live in substandard housing. Since 2005, Jenkins has repeated this pattern at several separate condominium developments in DC, including developments in the 3200 block of Eighth Street, SE, the 900 block of Eastern Avenue, NE, and 4900 block of A Street, SE.  Jenkins has since filed for personal bankruptcy. 

“Developers who sell defective housing and then walk away need to be placed under court orders,” Attorney General Nickles said.

Complaint*