From No Action to Class Action: Auraria Student Lofts Under New Management

Residents of Auraria Student Lofts were notified on February 3 that a new company is now in charge of managing the building, which has been the focus of both tenant complaints and citations by the Denver Fire Department.

But that might not be good news.

In recent months, Nelson Partners had come under fire for its ownership not only of Auraria Student Lofts in downtown Denver, but of other properties across the country as well, according to the New York Times. Current and former tenants at Auraria Student Lofts told Westword that the company had not made necessary repairs, including work on the elevators, and had also broken some of its financial promises.

Now, however, tenants will be dealing not with Nelson Partners, but Cardinal Group Management, which manages 20,000 units in Colorado and more in other states. But Cardinal, too, has come in for criticism regarding its management of Mint Urban Infinity and other apartment complexes in Denver.

In fact, tenants at Mint Urban Infinity filed a class-action lawsuit against Cardinal Group Management last fall, citing problems at the apartment complex ranging from lax security to improperly functioning HVAC systems to, yes, broken elevators.
The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment sent several notices of violations to Mint Urban Infinity in September; those violations included unsound building conditions and sanitary violations. The Denver Fire Department had also cited the complex numerous times over the years for problems with its elevators.

The Denver Fire Department cited Nelson Partners for problems with the Auraria Student Lofts elevators last fall, and issued a new Order to Comply on January 13, 2022, regarding broken communications systems in the elevators. According to Greg Pixley, press information captain for the Denver Fire Department, the order was written because anyone stuck in an elevator wouldn’t be able to communicate with the department if their cell phones weren't working or they didn't have a phone, leading to safety concerns. The problem was fixed on January 31, he adds.

The February 3 notice to tenants at Auraria Student Lofts says that residents won’t be able to make online payments until March 1, but that late fees will be waived for those who can’t pay through other means. “It may also take a few days to a week before you can submit work orders online through the community website," the notice adds. "In the meantime, please stop by the leasing office to submit a manual work order request and we will address it promptly!”

And some Auraria tenants are optimistic about the new management. Elise Esmond says that Cardinal Group Management has already been more communicative than Nelson Partners ever was, putting a second note on tenants' doors with a QR code where they could get updated contact information.

"It seems like they're being proactive," Esmond says. "Maybe this is naive, but I don't know if it could be worse than Nelson Partners."

It's not clear whether Nelson Partners has sold Auraria Student Lofts or merely switched management to Cardinal Group Management. Neither Nelson Partners nor Cardinal Group Management responded to Westword's requests for comment.

The notice given to tenants at Auraria Student Lofts says that all terms and conditions of their current leases will remain unchanged.