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Residents say personal belongings trashed at local apartment complex by management

Posted at 10:40 PM, Dec 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-07 00:40:40-05

DENVER -- Renters at a local apartment complex in Capitol Hill told Denver7 their management company cleared and trashed their bikes, barbecues and even family photos without warning because it was considered a fire hazard, among other reasons.

The items removed were located in common areas like outside, under staircases and in the basement of the building. Pinnacle Real Estate Management disagrees and told Denver7 it posted and emailed tenants days before about a cleanup and "haul-off" day, saying anything left around an apartment would be collected because it was either unsightly or a safety hazard.

The tenant who contacted us wanted to remain anonymous, but says his bike and grill were taken.

"There was a small coffee table and a couple other chairs and a grill here and a grill here," said the tenant as he demonstrated the things taken from the outdoor common area.

Savannah Hubschman's bike was taken, and she says she did not get the memo either.

"I check my email every day. I’m a college student. No email, nothing. Just my stuff is gone," said Hubschman.

Pinnacle Real Estate Management shared the letter with Denver7. It said a notice was emailed and posted days before anything was cleared.

The tenant contacted the management company and told Denver7 he recovered his things and several other neighbors’ belongings from a dumpster located on it’s property.

"I went over to the dumpster, I saw my grill,” said the anonymous tenant. “And I saw these pictures in the dumpster of people's family."

One of those neighbors got her photos back that she stored in a box in the basement. She wanted to remain anonymous.

"It feels kind of disheartening and it feels like there’s no respect here for tenants personal belongings," said the woman who got her photos back from her neighbor.

A spokesperson with Pinnacle Real Estate Management told Denver7 that tenants had access to storage in the basement of the building. The tenants say they do not have any storage outside of their units. Denver7 could not locate any storage units, except one locked door in the basement that tenants advise they’ve never had access to.

In a statement, Dan Schlichte with Pinnacle said:

“Pinnacle Real Estate Management always has and will continue to maintain a high level of communication with our tenants as it relates to the operational needs of any particular property. We respect the human element associated with communal living, and as we did in this case, we always provide sufficient notice to tenants prior to making any changes around a property, especially those changes that will impact the tenant’s living experience.”

As for the tenants?

"I believe they should make good on the things that were taken, of value," said the tenant.