Image Caption: An eviction notice on the outside of Tatum Sullivan’s Ash House apartment door on The Hill on Sept. 16, 2024. Credit: Tatum Sullivan
Four Star takes over Ash House after illegal bedrooms lead to evictions
Tatum Sullivan is walking home from class one September afternoon and sees police officers swarming her apartment complex on The Hill. Student residents panic as they run in and out of units, carrying armfuls of their stuff to their cars while on the phone with parents. Alongside the panicked bustle, police placed pink eviction notices on each door.
“They said the building is unsafe and we have to be out by six,” she said.
It was already 3 p.m.
Sullivan and her four roommates were evicted that day from Ash House. They were told to leave immediately, just a month into their lease through My Boulder Rental. An illegally constructed fourth bedroom violated city safety codes. The room had a window that could not open, no smoke detector, no fire alarm, and no one knew how it was built or what electrical wiring was in the walls.
“It was too late in the year to find another apartment on The Hill that would fit all of us, and we didn’t even know where to go that night,” Sullivan said.
While some tenants left immediately and even broke their leases in hopes of finding whatever else was available, Sullivan and her roommates refused to move.
“We were like, ‘You can’t kick us out’—nothing felt unsafe to us,” she said, adding that they stayed the night, unsure if the entire building would be condemned by morning.
For others, leaving was the only option. University of Colorado Boulder junior and psychology major, Rachel Mostek, said she first heard about the eviction in a text from her roommates.
“I thought they were exaggerating until I got home, and they were already packing up the apartment,” she said.
Weeks later, the property managers confirmed the issue: the extra bedroom had been built without city approval. This added at least one additional person to each apartment unit with the illegal bedroom.
“They definitely did it to make more money,” Sullivan said. “By having five people in that apartment, our rent was about $1,400 higher each month then it should be.”
Mostek said her family quickly pushed to get out of their lease once they realized what was happening. Even if the extra bedroom was approved by the city, they did not want to live under the shady situation.
“My parents took legal action,” she said. “They did a class action lawsuit with everyone else, and we signed an NDA.”
Mostek’s roommates were able to break their lease, but that was not the case for all the residents. Sullivan’s group stayed in a hotel and were allowed back in after the illegal room was demolished. Construction crews worked hard to bring the building up to code, but the chaos left lasting frustration.
“There was constant construction, new management, and people moving in and out,” Sullivan said.
A few months later, tenants learned that Four Star Realty had taken over management after the Boulder County District asked the company to step in. On Feb. 13, 2025, tenants signed new leases with Four Star. My Boulder Rental faced legal action and lost control of the property.
Four Star rebranded Ash House as 891 Exchange, pledging to meet all city safety codes and rebuild trust with residents. Four Star Realty said they could not speak in detail about the illegal fourth bedrooms because they were built before the company took over the property.
Four Star explained that property management companies have firm policies when it comes to building new properties or adjusting current units.
“We have to follow strict city rules when adding bedrooms or building new student apartments,” they said. “Any structural changes require building permits and city inspections.”
Under Four Star, all apartments in 891 Exchange are limited to three bedrooms, with updated smoke detectors, fire alarms and sprinkler systems installed throughout the building. Even with the improvements, some students feel the incident exposed a bigger problem in Boulder’s housing market, where high demand and limited supply create opportunities for unsafe or overpriced rentals.
“That’s why transparency is key,” Four Star said. “Students can review floor plans, safety certifications, and rent breakdowns before signing.”
Sullivan and her roommates completed their lease through spring 2025 and moved to a different apartment on the Hill for fall 2025 through 2026. The new apartment is managed by an independent landlord, giving them hope that they are in good hands.
Residents like Sullivan rely on realtor companies on The Hill to be trustworthy and provide safe housing for students. Their experience reflects one of many ongoing concerns about Boulder’s student housing market, where rising demand may cause management companies to take advantage of students by squeezing them into unsafe places with inflated rent.
“Apartment managers definitely cut corners and rip people off to make more money off desperate students in Boulder,” Sullivan said.
Edited by Rue Murray
