DENVER — Moving to a new apartment, especially from another state, should be an exciting time. But that wasn’t the case for Brandon Smith.
"I moved from Pennsylvania having never visited here and I feel like I have been catfished," said Smith.
For Smith, the problems with Mint Urban Infinity Apartments started early on.
"I had knee surgery last year and so when my elevator was out in the building and I had to move in, I was a bit surprised having to haul everything up to the fourth floor," said Smith.
Other residents say it’s not the only time they’ve seen elevator issues either. Many of them have buttons pushed in completely and others require precise handling.
"You have to hit the button up and down to get the elevator to stop on three," said Jennifer Largent, a resident of the complex.
Residents say it's these issues and more that convinced them to knock on more than 100 doors in the complex to document issues their neighbors were having.
"I have notes about the different kinds of problems," said Kristin Jones, who spoke with her neighbors.
"Cockroaches, car thefts, apartment break-ins, black mold, missing parts of walls, leaking ceilings in the hallways and bathrooms — you name it," said Smith.
One of their goals is to start a petition and potentially find legal counsel. Denver7 emailed and called the CEO of the property as well as other employees but never heard back.
"It starts with fixing even the smallest problem. Having repairs done in a ceiling that were done being patched up, to replacing carpets and even as far as updating the entire systems into the century at the very absolute least," said Jones.
Even if they wanted to move out, it’s not an option everyone can take.
"I can’t afford it and I physically can’t. I am going to have to stay here and fight along with the other people that are able to stay and fight," said Largent.
Their fight is just getting started and funded. For just how long, and what comes out of it, remains to be seen.
