COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Several people who live in an apartment building in Colorado Springs were without heat for a week.
A broken boiler had left half of the multi-building apartment complex called the Lookout at Broadmoor off 8th Street in the cold. Residents reached out to News 5 for help as they had no idea when it would be turned back on.
They told us they toughed it out using space heaters that the property handed out, and by staying under lots of blankets. Only half the residents at the apartment complex were without heat for a week.
A Colorado Springs city spokesperson says that three claims were filed for code enforcement to investigate the situation.
ConAm, the company that runs the property, declined to comment on the loss of heat for residents earlier this week.
Colorado's Habitability Law protects tenants in situations like these. The law requires landlords to provide functioning heat to tenants, but they don't have to fix anything until a landlord receives a written request for repairs. If the repair affects health and safety, the law requires landlords to respond within 24 hours.
WATCH: COLORADO SPRINGS TENANTS' RIGHTS AFTER FOUR DAYS WITHOUT HEAT
Colorado Legal Services advises tenants to continue to pay rent to avoid eviction and keep all correspondence with the landlord or property management company.
The law states a landlord has five days to make repairs and if they are not made by then, a tenant can send written notice of a plan to terminate the lease citing the outstanding repair.
Tenants should reach out to the health department or their city's Code Enforcement and file a complaint so there is record of the situation.
Colorado Legal Services offers next steps for tenants who, depending on the situation, have the option to sue the management company and give notice they are moving out. Tenants should seek legal guidance for their situations as this report is not intended to serve as legal advice.
