WEBVTT

NOTE duration:"00:03:19"

NOTE recognizability:0.894

NOTE language:en-us

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.932
Three years of investigation,

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

00:00:01.932 --> 00:00:02.898
crumbling buildings.

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

00:00:02.900 --> 00:00:04.764
Life threatening, safety issues.

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

00:00:04.764 --> 00:00:06.628
Now we're answering your

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00:00:06.628 --> 00:00:07.880
questions about DRA,

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

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holding accountability to power.

NOTE Confidence: 0.945345103333333

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That's what we're all

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about here at W USA NOW.

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

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Yeah, we've been investigating

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:13.564 --> 00:00:15.130
the DC Department of Consumer and

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:15.172 --> 00:00:16.597
Regulatory Affairs for three years,

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:18.460
exposing those serious safety problems

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:18.460 --> 00:00:20.320
and failures within that agency.

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:21.480
And tonight are, do you?

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:22.892
Gonzalez has important information

NOTE Confidence: 0.903387891333333

00:00:22.892 --> 00:00:25.010
for anyone who owns a home.

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:26.250 --> 00:00:28.482
Any DC homeowner who's attempted a

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:28.482 --> 00:00:30.732
renovation knows the headache of the

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:30.732 --> 00:00:32.726
inspection process now, DCR races,

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:32.726 --> 00:00:34.618
they've streamlined that process,

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:34.620 --> 00:00:36.768
rolling out a new portal today

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:36.768 --> 00:00:39.350
that they call a one stop shop.

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:39.350 --> 00:00:40.878
But we've discovered that

NOTE Confidence: 0.919150256666667

00:00:40.878 --> 00:00:42.406
convenience could cost you.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9602419

00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:47.115
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory

NOTE Confidence: 0.9602419

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Affairs Director Ernest Trapa walked

NOTE Confidence: 0.877344504

00:00:49.193 --> 00:00:50.608
out to applause after the

NOTE Confidence: 0.877344504

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big unveil at MLK Library.

NOTE Confidence: 0.821474460625

00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:53.818
I would like to introduce you

NOTE Confidence: 0.821474460625

00:00:53.818 --> 00:00:55.966
to a new and exciting program

NOTE Confidence: 0.821474460625

00:00:55.966 --> 00:01:00.280
we have called Hershey kisses.

NOTE Confidence: 0.821474460625

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Connects customers to third party inspectors

NOTE Confidence: 0.884831211666667

00:01:03.370 --> 00:01:06.274
but WSA 9 has learned home owners or

NOTE Confidence: 0.884831211666667

00:01:06.274 --> 00:01:08.442
developers are charged a 10% processing

NOTE Confidence: 0.884831211666667

00:01:08.442 --> 00:01:10.969
fee for using that service the old

NOTE Confidence: 0.884831211666667

00:01:10.969 --> 00:01:13.644
way of finding an inspector for your

NOTE Confidence: 0.884831211666667

00:01:13.644 --> 00:01:16.170
home renno didn't cost you any extra.

NOTE Confidence: 0.949077561111111

00:01:16.230 --> 00:01:17.898
What's your reaction to residents who

NOTE Confidence: 0.949077561111111

00:01:17.898 --> 00:01:20.227
say that you are now charging them

NOTE Confidence: 0.949077561111111

00:01:20.227 --> 00:01:23.776
for a service that was already free?

NOTE Confidence: 0.949077561111111

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Change is something

NOTE Confidence: 0.860049660833333

00:01:25.940 --> 00:01:28.278
that we have to deal with as

NOTE Confidence: 0.860049660833333

00:01:28.278 --> 00:01:30.110
individuals at Community and society.

NOTE Confidence: 0.844704182857143

00:01:30.190 --> 00:01:31.625
Schrappen may not have answered

NOTE Confidence: 0.844704182857143

00:01:31.625 --> 00:01:32.820
that question. Directly here,

NOTE Confidence: 0.844704182857143

00:01:32.820 --> 00:01:34.680
but he did a month ago.

NOTE Confidence: 0.844704182857143

00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:36.795
During this zoom meeting with

NOTE Confidence: 0.844704182857143

00:01:36.795 --> 00:01:39.050
subcontractors obtained by W USA 9

NOTE Confidence: 0.82853318

00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:42.620
mandate participating on the platform

NOTE Confidence: 0.82853318

00:01:42.620 --> 00:01:46.052
in terms of the fee for having access

NOTE Confidence: 0.82853318

00:01:46.052 --> 00:01:49.457
to the tool and the new markets,

NOTE Confidence: 0.82853318

00:01:49.460 --> 00:01:52.526
the limit switch set is 10%.

NOTE Confidence: 0.911398175714286

00:01:52.690 --> 00:01:54.510
I'm using a new system

NOTE Confidence: 0.911398175714286

00:01:54.510 --> 00:01:56.360
that has additional fees.

NOTE Confidence: 0.783434335

00:01:56.390 --> 00:01:59.174
It's not just W USA 9 asking questions.

NOTE Confidence: 0.783434335

00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:00.924
The DC Building Industry

NOTE Confidence: 0.783434335

00:02:00.924 --> 00:02:02.668
Association wrote director Trapa.

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00:02:02.670 --> 00:02:05.120
This letter dated October 18th,

NOTE Confidence: 0.783434335

00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:07.744
urging him to pause the rollout until he

NOTE Confidence: 0.783434335

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can assure the portal works for everyone.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9281867165

00:02:10.430 --> 00:02:12.817
It needs more time, more input from

NOTE Confidence: 0.9281867165

00:02:12.817 --> 00:02:16.371
us to so he can understand how these

NOTE Confidence: 0.9281867165

00:02:16.371 --> 00:02:18.816
complex projects and these multiple

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

00:02:18.970 --> 00:02:21.330
inspections and multiple permitting

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

00:02:21.330 --> 00:02:23.168
for large projects happen.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

00:02:23.168 --> 00:02:25.256
If there's one thing that the

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

00:02:25.256 --> 00:02:27.369
building industry in the construction

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

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industry is very good at,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9692893225

00:02:29.238 --> 00:02:31.240
it is adapting to change, but

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:31.250 --> 00:02:32.387
some say prematurely.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:32.387 --> 00:02:34.282
Forcing that change has contractors

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:34.282 --> 00:02:35.510
questioning the portals.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:35.510 --> 00:02:36.920
Reliability and homeowners

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:39.270
stuck with a surprise fee.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:39.270 --> 00:02:41.052
We learned there is a way

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:41.052 --> 00:02:42.580
to avoid the extra fee.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:42.580 --> 00:02:45.070
Homeowners can skip purchase and

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:45.070 --> 00:02:47.062
those third party inspectors.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:47.070 --> 00:02:49.098
You can go directly to the

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:51.830
Cra's website to find an agency

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:51.830 --> 00:02:53.087
approved Inspector catches.

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:53.087 --> 00:02:55.169
That will take you a little

NOTE Confidence: 0.925013174545455

00:02:55.169 --> 00:02:57.189
longer to get the job done.

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:02:57.220 --> 00:02:58.850
DRA says they've done the

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:02:58.850 --> 00:03:00.480
work to improve this agency,

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:04.104
their satisfaction rate up 50% they say.

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

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And they guaranteed to answer homeowners

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

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questions within three business days.

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:10.310
Still, the DC Council maintains

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:12.779
the only way the agency can get

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:12.779 --> 00:03:14.479
better is with new leadership,

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:14.480 --> 00:03:16.196
not just new technology.

NOTE Confidence: 0.884535352

00:03:16.196 --> 00:03:19.000
In northwest Delia Gonzalez W USA 9.