Broken heat has Denver apartment residents bundled up, concerned during cold snap
Residents at a Denver apartment complex say they've been living without heat or air conditioning off and on for the past year. As temperatures drop into the negatives, tenants are preparing to brace for the cold indoors.
Ben Wilson, a tenant at The Zephyr apartments, has filed multiple work orders.
"I would be lying in bed and I would see my breath. I would be so cold shivering, holding the dog, and the windows are closed," said Wilson. "We've reported the heater over and over and over for a year."
CBS News Colorado reached out to the property manager and was told they were looking into the problem. That evening, CBS News Colorado's Tori Mason saw property-provided space heaters being carted into the building.
Wilson fears their temporary fix could be a greater danger than the cold.
"This is not a solution. It's a fire hazard," said Wilson. "The rents here range from $700 all the way up to $2,500. And none of us have heat. That's one of the most basic things that landlords should provide."
According to the city's Rules and Regulations Governing Residential Health, "every unit should have heating facilities that are installed in an approved manner and are maintained in sound condition and good repair and are capable of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms and water closet compartments located therein to a temperature of at least seventy degrees Fahrenheit."
Emily Williams with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment says prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have severe impacts.
"When we think about hyperthermia, we think about frostbite. But it can also cause cardiovascular issues, issues if you have diabetes, and respiratory lung problems. Not having access to heat is a serious concern," Williams said.
At The Zephyr, Wilson worries for his older and immunocompromised neighbors like himself.
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Late Thursday afternoon, Rodrigo Duarte visited the apartments to check in on his mom and dad. They're both in their 70s.
"There's a lot of elderly people here that are going to be suffering," said Duarte. "In the summer, the A/C doesn't work. And then in the winter, the heater doesn't work. Apartments should be responsible for keeping up with their maintenance."
Heat in the hallways and common areas of the apartment complex blasted when CBS News Colorado visited Thursday.
The lock on the building's front entrance was broken, allowing anyone to come inside. Wilson says the warm, open space has become inviting for unwelcome guests.
"It's become a well-known fact that if you need a place to sleep, our stairwells are open. We regularly find needles in the hallway," said Wilson. "The hallway is hot but we can't live with our doors open with broken security."
When DDPHE receives a complaint about a heating issue, an investigator will go to the home, turn the thermostat to 70 degrees and see if the heating unit is working and if it can bring the temperature to 70 degrees.
If it doesn't, DDPHE issues public health orders to the property management company to fix the issue.
If the issue isn't fixed in the time laid out, DDPHE can take escalated enforcement actions like monetary fines or even court summonses. Part of their orders could include an interim solution to provide heat or a safe space for people to go.
"If you don't have heat, the first thing we encourage you to do is to check with your landlord. If you need help having that conversation with your landlord, there's a letter on our website that you can use to send to them," explained Williams. "If you're not getting a timely response from them, or you've not heard back from them, call 311. We will send an investigator."
DDPHE says they will send an investigator to The Zephyr apartments on Friday.
