The city of Boulder issued a notice of closure for a privately owned, off-campus student housing building that doesn’t meet code requirements after students have already moved in for the school year.

Students who live at 891 12th Street on University Hill, known as the Ash House, were notified of the closure Monday afternoon. The closure will temporarily displace 60 students, and at least 13 of those students will need to find new permanent housing, the city said in a news release.

“At about 2:20 this afternoon, my daughter called me directly, pretty much in tears,” said Paul Hartigan, parent of a University of Colorado Boulder student. “There was someone from the city of Boulder at the apartment putting up red signs saying everyone is being kicked out. The sign says ‘unsafe’ [and] basically being told they had to be out by 6 p.m.”

The notice was issued after the city discovered that the property owner created additional bedrooms without city approval. Now, units don’t meet code and life-safety requirements, the city said.

“This is an incredibly unfortunate situation, and we truly regret the inconvenience and disruption for renters,” Brad Mueller, director of Planning & Development Services, said in a news release. “However, safety is always first, and the conditions discovered represent an immediate risk. The building code exists to ensure minimum safety, health and quality of life standards exist for all rental housing. The city determined swift action was needed given the egregious nature of the violations.”

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