Apartment complex near University of Louisville is breaking leases and 'closing its doors'
The bustling Bellamy apartment complex near the University of Louisville is "closing its doors," according to an email sent to at least some residents, leaving many tenants with broken leases and in the market for a new place to call home.
The email was sent Sunday, according to a copy reviewed by The Courier Journal, and called on tenants to move out by the end of July. That leaves residents who received the email about a month to find new accommodations and move out.
Caliber Living, the Georgia-based company that sent the notice to residents, confirmed the news in an email Wednesday to The Courier Journal. The Bellamy is "the only student housing near the University of Louisville that has not been updated since its original construction in 2008, the statement said, and the complex must be vacant to be renovated.
"It is anticipated that less than 10% of the 640 beds would have been occupied at the beginning of the Fall semester," according to the statement, which noted the compex is under contract for sale, with details to be released sometime in the future.
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At 1501 Bellamy Place in Algonquin just outside University of Louisville's campus, the Bellamy offers 192 two- and four-bedroom apartment units. While the complex partnered with the university to provide student housing in 2012, that arrangement ended in 2019.
Austin Johnson, who's lived at the complex for a year, said he was shaken when his roommate told him the news – after all, he has only a few weeks to find a new place to live. He posted flyers on the outside of the main office seeking a new roommate after he found out.
"I made them because sometimes you can't even get approved in a month," he said. "If they had let us know ahead of time, I might not have been so scared."
Ultimately, Johnson wishes he had more time. He doesn't have many family members in Louisville, and if the complex was planning to sell, he said, he would have wanted to know sooner so he could be ready. Caliber Living said, "the timing was dictated by pending renovation needs" and that "it dovetails with the July 26 end of current leases and will alleviate the dangers of living within a construction zone."
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In the meantime, though, Johnson and his current roommate are set to begin touring other apartments Wednesday.
Caliber Living said the company is providing students with rehousing assistance and is working with neighboring residential areas to offer specials for Bellamy residents. However, Johnson was unaware of these services.
"I try to be prepared in my life," he said. "This has happened to me before. I try to prevent this from happening."
This story may be updated.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at emccrary@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ellie_mccrary.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville's Bellamy apartment complex ends leases early, tenants say
