Out-of-order elevator at Denver Housing Authority property leaves disabled tenants looking for answers

Carlos Soto has an added 100 feet and two flights of stairs on every trip to his front door. He says he has to carry his walker every step.

“My whole routine has changed,” Soto said. “I try to not go down as much. If I need groceries or something, I try to hold off and not do it.”

Soto claims the elevator — just steps from his second-floor apartment — has been out of order for over three weeks.

▶️ WATCH: Soto shares the impacts of the out-of-order elevator with Denver7’s Alex Dowd

Out-of-order elevator at DHA property leaves disabled tenants looking for answers

Despite the difficulty, he walks the path three or four times every day.

“I have to take out my dog, so she can go potty and stuff,” he said. “I need to go to the store, get groceries, and I gotta go to work in the morning, and in the afternoon, I gotta come back up.”

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities. Colorado’s Safe Housing for Residential Tenants law says owners and landlords have to repair uninhabitable issues within two weeks.

Sen. Tony Exum Sr. — one of the prime sponsors of the bill in 2024 — said a place is “considered uninhabitable when there’s conditions that are unhealthy or unsafe.”

That includes when a disabled tenant is unable to easily or safely access their apartment. However, the landlord must be aware of the issue first. Then, “the onus is on the landlord to make reasonable accommodations to to fix the problem,” Exum said.

Are reasonable accommodations being made at Sol Apartments where Soto lives?

Denver7 reached out to Denver Housing Authority — which announced the Sun Valley apartment’s grand opening alongside its partners a little over a year ago — but they said they couldn’t accommodate the request for an interview or statement due to the Fourth of July holiday. They did offer to respond the following week.

DHA employees told Soto in an email that they were “working to resolve the elevator issues.”

The issue, Exum said, is common in apartments.

“There can be an extension [for landlords],” he said “For instance, if they’ve contacted a third party to do the repairs.”

Soto says the housing authority told him they had contacted a third party for repairs, but that they offered no repair timeline or alternative options.

“Maybe make [the building] more accommodating,” Soto said. “Plan A didn’t work, so let’s try Plan B now, and get me up here somehow.”

Under the Safe Housing for Residential Tenants law, landlords are able to move tenants to hotels or nearby properties until the issue is resolved.

Soto says until the elevator is working again, he’s forced to use the stairs or use the elevator and the sky bridge next door, adding even more time to his already long commute.

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