Residents of a long-troubled apartment building in southeast Denver have suffered for years from frequent hot water and heat outages, roach and bedbug infestations, and overflowing trash, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Friday in Denver District Court.
Four tenants of the Raven apartment complex — formerly known as The Felix — accused the building’s ownership and management company of violating Colorado’s warranty of habitability and consumer protection laws.
Despite years of complaints, violations and fines levied by Denver public health regulators, management refused to fix the myriad issues plaguing the apartment buildings, the lawsuit alleges.
“The announcement of criminal charges and of a class action are not a celebration of a win for tenants,” the Denver Metro Tenants Union, which has organized residents at the complex, said in a news release. “That we finally find ourselves here today, after years of severely inhumane, unhealthy and dangerous conditions, is an indication that our system is deeply broken. This apartment complex tells a story that is far too common across our metro area.”
Raven’s ownership and management companies, Loft 9 Apartments, Apartment Management Consultants and Trion Properties, could not be reached for comment.
Residents have complained for years about the conditions at the 418-unit apartment complex, located at 11100 E. Dartmouth Ave.
Heat and hot water go out for months at a time, tenants say, leading some to shower at local recreation centers. Others are forced to use space heaters to warm their units, leading to soaring electricity bills.
One of the plaintiffs, Rachel Vargas, said her daughter suffered from an illness that impacted her joints and skeletal system. The cold, she alleged in the complaint, worsened her condition.
Another tenant, Ashley Arias, said she “feels trapped in an uninhabitable home.”
Between January 2023 and April 2024, tenants submitted more than 100 work orders about the lack of heat to property management, the lawsuit states.
At one point, the residents say, the corpse of a deceased dog was left to rot in a vacant swimming pool.
Despite a Denver law requiring all residential rental properties to be licensed, Raven remains without a license, according to city records.
The Denver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection issued a criminal citation to the building’s ownership in October, requiring representatives to appear in court in December. It’s not clear what happened at that hearing; the Denver City Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for information.
Public health records indicate Raven — and before that, The Felix — has long been a target of complaints and enforcement measures from the city.
The complex was the third most-fined building in Denver between Jan. 1, 2024, and Feb. 26, 2025, The Denver Post previously reported, accruing more than $42,000 in penalties.
Residents have staged rallies to protest the squalid conditions, and Colorado lawmakers cited the building when they passed a law in 2024 tightening the state’s warranty of habitability.
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