DENVER — Renters at the Clarkson Lodge in the Capitol Hill neighborhood are scrambling after they were told they have two weeks left to find a new home.
One tenant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared a handwritten notice left for him and other residents of the boarding house, located at 1440 North Clarkson Street. The man said he'd been living at the building for the past two years.
"It is to my great displeasure as manager to have to inform all tenants as to the sale of our building — new owners are asking everyone to leave by March 14," the notice read.
The tenant said he wasn't informed of the building's sale until last Monday. He said the move-out date leaves him and others with few options. Rooms at the Clarkson Lodge range from $600 to $650 per month, according to residents.
"I don't have anybody to room with. I'll either be in my tent or my shelter until I can find another room somewhere," the tenant said. "I'm going to be homeless!"
Denver7 hasn't been able to contact the property's owner, but the deed of sale has been requested from the Denver Clerk and Recorder.
"People knew that we were having to move out of here before we knew that we had to move out," the man said.
The situation at the Clarkson Lodge highlights the need for more affordable housing, according to experts.
"Renters just don't have that kind of stability unless they're locked into a very long-term lease ... which most people aren't," said Sarah Schindler, a law professor at the University of Denver. "They're subject to the whims of the market and the whims of their landlord."
According to The Center Square, an economic reporting site, Denver's average rent increased by17% year-over-year. Those increases, coupled with how tenants are sometimes treated, can lead to confusion, Schindler said.
"Sometimes if a building is changing from a rooming house or an affordable building to a market rate building, tenants don't even get notice of those changes, only homeowners do," she said. "Across many different areas of the law and policy, we view tenants as a second class citizens ... they're treated less than homeowners."
This is a developing story. Denver7 will update this article as more information becomes available.