EVERETT — A landlord who completedelectrical and plumbing work without permits is facing $1,500 in fines and an order to get a nearly century-old apartment building up to code.
The initial hearing against Dimension Townhouses, which owns the Grand Apartments, was Aug. 11, but it was held open another week for the company to respond to the exhibits and proposed order. No one representing Dimension submitted a response.
Hearing Examiner Sharon Rice issued the decision Thursday, calling for Dimension to pay the fines by Sept. 9. The property owner has 21 days to appeal the order in Superior Court.
The amount is lower than the city’s initial request of $4,500.
The order also requires the Renton-based company to bring the entire 15-unit building into code compliance by Feb. 13. Everett building officials will inspect and approve the work.
No one from the company responded to a reporter’s request for a comment for this story.
The three-story brick exterior building had one of the lowest rents in town, some former residents told The Daily Herald last year.
Then Dimension Townhouses, which also does business as Dimension Properties and Dimension Property Management, bought the Grand Apartments for $2.1 million in July 2021. The company began work on the building and its units, increasing rents to around $1,300, which is average for the area.
But some work was done without permits and in some cases poorly, according to city records. Alleged code violations included electrical wires left exposed, a leaking pipe in a laundry room, a water heater vent pipe going out a window and an extension cord powering tankless water heaters, according to the final order.
Rice — who is not a city employee and is instead contracted to review and issue orders in code enforcement cases — concluded construction happened in two units, as well as the shared laundry room, without required permits. She also found that electrical wiring and plumbing fixtures were not up to code in at least one unit and the laundry room.
Rucchi and Suneet Diwan are listed in state business filing documents as Dimension’s owners. The company lists rental properties from Mount Vernon to Olympia, including five located in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Monroe.
Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @benwatanabe.
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