Rat Infestation In 891-Unit Maryland Complex Goes Viral, Unit Condemned

The manager of a huge apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, has been put on notice by local officials and is now taking action after a video showing a rat problem in the building went viral on social media. 

A series of videos posted last week by local TikTok influencer ethiopianshawty show multiple instances of rats — some alive, some dead — within the kitchen areas of apartments at the Arrive Silver Spring apartments. One video, which has been viewed more than 2 million times, shows a bag full of dead rats that had been collected by the building's pest control vendor.

The 891-unit property at 8750 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring is owned by an affiliate of San Francisco-based FPA Multifamily, which acquired it in May 2021 for $219M, according to property records.

County inspectors investigated the building early last week after receiving resident complaints, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs told Bisnow, and they observed "significant ongoing rodent activity." 

@ethiopianshawty Arrive Silver Spring Apartments is INFESTED with rats and roaches!! And don’t even get me started by the complete lack of care of the management. PLEASE DONT MOVE TO ARRIVE. All of this happened AFTER I reported the issues to management and they came and “fixed” all of the holes in the apartment. KENMORE PEST CONTROL COUNT YOUR DAYS TOO!!! They are ALWAYS LYING AND EVEN THOUGH THEY COME LITERALLY ALMOST EVERY WEEK NO ISSUES ARE ADRRESSED. SMH SPARE YOURSELF THIS TRAUMA #arrivesilverspring #dmvtiktok #rats #dmv #fyp ♬ original sound - ethiopianshawty

DHCA condemned one unit and provided temporary relocation assistance to the affected tenants, the spokesperson said. On a follow-up inspection, the spokesperson said DHCA identified "rat burrows" and issued a notice of violation to the property. 

"The property has been placed on notice and was required to immediately begin drill and dust treatment and conduct search and seal measures throughout the building," the DHCA spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We will closely monitor compliance and escalate the matter further if the conditions are not addressed promptly."

DHCA has its next regular inspection of the property scheduled for Dec. 10, and the spokesperson said that, due to these issues, it will be inspecting 100% of the units, rather than the usual 50%.

Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart's office told DC News Now it has been working with code enforcement to address the issue. 

The property is managed by FPA subsidiary Trinity Property Consultants. Trinity said in a Saturday statement to Bisnow it is working to address the issue with an "immediate and comprehensive response plan." 

Ten units have reported pest control issues, Trinity said in its response. It said it has removed its previous pest control vendor from the property and is now working with three separate companies and launching a "specialized task force" on Monday. 

The task force will inspect and conduct "comprehensive treatment" of the building's units, common areas, retail spaces and entry points throughout the week, Trinity said, and it will provide residents with regular updates. 

"We take this matter extremely seriously and have zero tolerance for any conditions that have an impact on our residents' comfort and quality of life," a Trinity spokesperson said in the statement. 

"We will not stop until pest activity has been eradicated from the building," the spokesperson added. 

The building was constructed in 1968 and last renovated in 2011, according to LoopNet. FPA acquired the property in 2021 from Pantzer Properties. It was last assessed at $176.8M, according to property records. 

The building caught fire in early 2023, and a 25-year-old woman was killed, 19 people were injured, and more than 400 residents were displaced, WUSA9 reported at the time. In September 2024, the woman's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Trinity and FPA. Court filings show the parties reached a settlement, and the case was dismissed in November 2024.