There Is No Housing Market Without Government

Why the divide between public responsibility and private property is a dangerous fiction

HUD-funded affordable housing is subject to habitability and safety inspections. When the market is not held to the same basic standards in housing it makes affordable housing less available and market housing less habitable and safe. Homeowners in the neighborhood are financially burdened with higher property insurance and declining property values. City resources are strained with calls for service and pressured by homeowners to relieve their tax burden. We all lose. I am sharing my own experience below to provide a more complete picture of the view of the city from a Skyway neighborhood.

On September 15, 2026, two Code Enforcement employees and two Foreign LLC employees arrived at my apartment unannounced. Mr. T. Berry, Colorado Springs Code Enforcement, stepped in, took pictures, and threatened me that the next report of a water leak will be considered a nuisance. He claimed there was no leak and no damage despite the fact that there is a water leak in the upstairs unit and there is evidence of damage in my ceiling. I have audio and video evidence of the leak and the damage. Previous unannounced visits by T. Berry occurred three to four days after I had reported the dishwasher leak and the dishwasher upstairs had not been used allowing ample time to dry. Mr. T. Berry stated that Colorado Springs does not comply with State Habitability Law. That is a shocking admission and I look forward to the State’s response concerning this direct defiance of the law.

Speaking of legal action, my many efforts in recent months to obtain legal representation against Foreign LLC have repeatedly hit the same wall—my claims to not include an eviction. That’s not a coincidence, it’s a choice—a political choice. The bullying by the property manager, threats from city employee T. Berry, and denial of legal representation is unconscionably callous and cruel. That is the nature of greed and the result of poor morals. Private equities have set the example for corporate owners to exploit, harass, rob, and evict without consequences, like predators do. 

Colorado is among the top 10 states in the U.S. for private equity apartment ownership according to the Private Equity Stakeholder Institute. Furthermore, Colorado Springs has the highest number of private equity owned rental properties in the state and all of us are paying dearly for this misguided housing policy. Private equity ownership of housing poses a risk to public well-being, jobs, health care, and financial stability; it is the cause of inflated rents, junk fees, and unsafe living conditions. The problem is not one of simple supply and demand--the market is manipulated to profit private equities. The problem is not a lack of thousands of apartment units--that fiction lines the pockets of private equities. The problem is private equities in rental housing.

I have extensively documented my lived experience at an apartment complex in Colorado Springs registered with the Secretary of State as a Foreign LLC. What I found, as my own little participatory action research project, is that the problems are consistent with the findings of academic research in housing and private equity ownership of rental properties not only in local cities but globally. The findings include:

--using algorithms to increase rent

--charging ancillary fees

--sub-metering previously included utilities

--unresponsive and poor property management

--increased and illegal inspections

--harassment and bullying for reporting habitability problems (water leaks, loss of heat/air conditioning, water and power shut-offs, etc.)

--hiding behind Code Enforcement to avoid accountability for habitability problems

If these findings resonate with your own experience, then you know the problem is bigger than the occasional reports local news agencies air only after weeks-long lack of resolution to lack of heat and water and electricity at apartment complexes. The problem is global in scale, but the solutions are hyper-local.

Summary of Habitability, Lease, and Quiet Enjoyment Infractions

Lease anomalies

• ·       Foreign LLC unilaterally changed my lease term dates on renewal from October 2021 to April 2022 and increased rent 15% via the property management app called AppFolio. If I did not sign the lease my rent would increase 20% on a month-to-month basis. No lease was available for review in AppFolio; the rent increase was assessed through the rent payment side of the app only.
• ·         I have been billed 7 times to pay insurance after my insurance documents were removed from the app by incompetent property management. I have never had a gap in my rental insurance policy.
• ·         March 23, 2023, Manager, stated he would correct the lease term dates claiming the new app messed up a lot of the dates. He further stated that my lease was good through September as originally signed in 2020. October 2023 would have been the start date of the lease renewal but the correction NEVER happened. Manager lied.
• ·         new utilities assessed June 1, 2024 via RUBS along with an admin fee on an app I do not have access to but those totals are supposedly copied to AppFolio; billing date was June 5^th for the month of May 1 through 31. Due to Manager’s dishonesty and incompetence and the ongoing problems with water leaks and shut-offs, I have no faith that the utilities are assessed fairly. At the very least there is sizeable water waste on this property.
• ·         Once again, my lease term dates were unilaterally changed in February 2026

Water

• ·         From November 21, 2021 to February 28, 2025 and continuing: Broken boiler, broken water main to both buildings, days long water shut-offs and lack of hot water for months; hid behind Code Enforcement’s coattails to avoid responsibility and accountability to tenants including any mitigation efforts or rent abatement
• ·         Water leak in the unit directly above mine in October 2023; reported the same leak in March 2024, October 2024, and ongoing since June 9, 2026.
• ·         Code Enforcement Mr. T. Berry stated on September 15, 2026 that there was no damage, no water leak, and the City of Colorado Springs does not comply with State law; furthermore, he threatened me with nuisance if I continued to report it. Both management and the City have harassed, bullied, and gaslit me for reporting a water leak above my unit.

Utilities

• ·         broken water main lines to both buildings since 11/2021
• ·         lack of hot water
• ·         water cut off without notice all day into the late evening
• ·         Foreign LLC hid behind Code Enforcement’s coattails to avoid offering relief or rent abatement for months of water problems
• ·         three months after the last hot water problem, Foreign LLC notified all tenants we will be separately billed for water and sewer utilities in lieu of increasing rent
• ·         Colorado Springs Utilities will not respond to inquires about the condition of the water system due to corporate veil—renters are not considered customers if not named on the utility bill

Illegal Auto-shop

• ·         gas, oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc. dumped on the ground in the parking lot and in the dirt areas next to the garages since at least September 2020
• ·         fire hydrant and water line replaced where the toxic chemicals were being dumped as part of the illegal auto shop
• ·         reported to Stormwater in May 2025, they passed it to Code Enforcement; issue was marked resolved by T. Berry
• ·         July, September, and December 2025 reported the same vehicles and dumping ongoing; Code Enforcement T. Berry marked the reports closed
• ·         February 2026 reported the same vehicles and same illegal auto shop to Code Enforcement T. Berry marked the report closed
• ·         The illegal auto shop is ongoing as of the date of this complaint

Insulation—Habitability

• ·         I reported a ¼ inch gap under the front exterior door on the day I moved in, September 18, 2020. The lack of proper insulation and shoddy door latch went ignored for 2 years.
• ·         I reported the issue to Code Enforcement February 2022, issue marked resolved without any inspection or follow-up.
• ·         Insulation that had been installed in September of 2022, seven months after it had been marked resolved by Code Enforcement, needed to be replaced again in 2026. Once again Foreign LLC ignored the maintenance order and I reported it to Code Enforcement. Same as the first time, no inspection, no follow-up.

Smoke Contamination—Quiet Enjoyment/Habitability/Clean Indoor Air Act

• ·         tenants in adjoining units smoking outside where their smoke gets in through my air conditioner and my exterior door.
• ·         ongoing smoke contamination of my apartment since 2023
• ·         reported to Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), El Paso County (EPC) Public Health and the City of Colorado Springs—all claimed no authority to enforce Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act

Note: Although, according to Code Enforcement, Foreign LLC, EPC Public Health, and CDPHE, Colorado clean indoor air act excludes tenants in multi-family housing from its protection, the fact remains that tenants are harmed by second-hand smoke exposure. The categorical omission of a certain class of people from a specific public health law opens the possibility of challenging in court on violation of the covenant of quiet enjoyment. If only...

Parking 

•  Damage to personal property due to parking spaces not in compliance with documents and maps filed with city planning; reported property damage to Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD)
• ·         My parking space is 7 feet wide, the planning documents state spaces are to be 8 feet and 9 feet wide, other spaces are smaller and none are 8 or 9 feet wide
• ·         The individuals contracted to resurface and paint the parking space boundaries annually are the same individuals participating in the illegal auto shop. It seems they have made the parking spaces smaller to make room for inoperable vehicles as part of their illegal auto shop operation
• ·         The individuals participating in the illegal auto shop and shrinking our parking spaces regularly park in the Fire Lane between buildings 855 and 901. Foreign LLC refuses to correct the issue
• ·         Reported Fire Code violations to Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) June, August, and September 2026; unlike T. Berry who refused to correct the matter, CSFD has corrected the problem and continues to follow up

Unnecessary Inspections

• ·         Notice of “annual apartment inspection” for insurance policy but never check plumbing or heating as stated in the notice. I’ve never heard of insurance requiring annual inspections and not checking what they say they are going to check appears fraudulent.

Unmitigated Harassment and Stalking

• ·       Tenants in 225 next to my unit have stalked me with their Ring camera since February 2024
• ·       Stalking escalated in June 2025 after I reported in May on the illegal auto shop on the property which Manager is directly involved in and one or more people were fined. The escalation included pounding on the shared wall, slamming the door, screaming, infiltrating my apartment with cigarette and pot smoke, and mocking me every time I step outside to enjoy my deck or leave to run errands
• ·         In August 2025, Manager threatened me with eviction for “noise” and “fighting” while the bully in 225 played the victim
• ·         I installed my own camera in response to the stalking, eviction threat, and refusal by CSPD to file a report because, as the responding officer told me, “cameras are everywhere. it’s not illegal” to watch people or comment on what they do or where they go anytime anywhere. Very creepy response from CSPD, in my opinion.
• ·         Manager refused to address the stalking and invasion of privacy arguing that it was not illegal; I reported the stalking to the police twice
• ·         Manager’s boss, Regional Manager, excused both Manager’s inaction and the harassment and stalking coming from 225 occupants; dismissed what I was experiencing in favor of the lies that suited him

The Solutions

Policy is an expression of opinion and power. Housing policy in Colorado Springs fully reflects the opinion that stakeholders do not matter. Only shareholders matter and money is power. This corruption is unsustainable. Elections have consequences--that's not a threat, but an expression of hope. When we put in place a government that serves us, the stakeholders, I offer the following as a starting point: 

• ·        Habitability must be enforced through city inspection and licensing programs
• ·        Habitability/quiet enjoyment lawsuits must be filed to deter predatory rental schemes,
• ·        Government funding for affordable housing must be withheld from localities that do not enforce habitability law 
• No exceptions for multi-family housing will be allowed in laws, codes, and regulations concerning health, safety, habitability, and environmental sustainability