DENVER — Some residents in The Lincoln at Speer apartment complex are concerned after their air conditioning unit broke as they endure the hottest day of the year so far.
Cade Clark and his roommates moved into The Lincoln at Speer just a couple of months ago, and it hasn't been the welcome they were hoping for.
"For the past week, it hasn’t worked at all. You can hear it humming. It’s trying to kick on but no fan. It just doesn’t work," Clark said, referring to his apartment's AC unit.
Their AC unit breaking couldn't have come at a worse time as temperatures in Denver are topping off in the triple digits.
"Sunday morning, I wake up drenched in sweat, just miserable all morning. It’s just irritable when you’re hot and sweaty," Clark said.
It was that experience that convinced him to buy an AC unit for his room. Clark says management has not responded to his inquiries if he'll be getting reimbursed for the unit or if the apartment unit will be fixed.
"I want to feel like I’m being heard. I want to feel like I’m getting what I’m paying for it," Clark said.
This isn't the first time Denver7 paid a visit to The Lincoln at Speer. At the end of April, more than three dozen residents went without heat for two months.
Drew Hamrick, SVP of government affairs and general counsel with the Colorado Apartment Association released the following statement:
“There are two potential avenues for renters who have no air conditioning. If the issue is the resident’s air conditioner is broken, the housing provider is obligated to repair it within a reasonable period of time of receiving written notice that it's broken."
If the resident never had air conditioning, the housing provider is not obligated to provide one. If this is a feature of an apartment that is desirable to the resident, he or she should select an apartment with air conditioning.
There are no laws stating that residences Coloradans buy or rent must be air conditioned. In fact, some Coloradans view air conditioning as environmentally unfriendly. Some renters also buy portable air conditioning units or fans for triple-digit days.”
Management for The Lincoln at Speer did not respond to our request for comment.
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