(COLORADO SPRINGS) — FOX21 is getting an inside look at an apartment complex where multiple people say they have gotten sick after dealing with poor living conditions.
Several tenants at University Village Apartments, located at 5400 North Nevada Ave in Colorado Springs, contacted FOX21 News with concerns about mold, cracks in the ceiling, and a broken heater.
Priderock Capital Management owns and operates the complex. The company is based in Florida, and when FOX21 showed up at the leasing office on Thursday, May 15, they told us to leave the property as they had no comment.
However, a couple who reached out to FOX21 about issues in the past and were on their way out for good on Thursday sent us videos and photos of their apartment and its current conditions.
Chris and Cara Witt made the decision to terminate their lease after living with possible code violations, including mold, a broken boiler, and cracked ceilings.
“All they do is put band-aids on everything,” Cara Witt explained. “They’re constantly turning off the water to do repairs, and it’s like, how many times can you do that? Sometimes they’ll even turn off the water and not tell you.”
The couple has filed several maintenance requests, but after many failed interactions, they are now looking to warn future tenants.
“Yes, they should condemn it,” Chris Witt said. “The place has been open since, from what I understand, I’ve heard three different versions since the sixties and seventies, and late seventies. But either way, it should be condemned. Like you go in there, it’s bad.”
Chris Witt told FOX21 he has a terminal illness and says the living conditions only made it worse.
“It’s harder for me to breathe at night,” Chris explained. “I get toothaches because of the mold building up, causing sinus issues.”
The couple moved into their new apartment complex and says their health is improving, but they aren’t stopping there.
“I want them to learn this is not okay,” Chris said. “You need to take accountability and responsibility, because when I’m lying in bed at night, gasping for air, it’s because of the mold in there.”
FOX21 also reached out to the Colorado Springs code enforcement to see whether there are any formal complaints against the owners of University Village Apartments. We are waiting to hear back.
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