Colorado lawmakers focus on relief for renters
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To address housing affordability, Colorado lawmakers are once again turning their attention to landlords.
Why it matters: The focus is designed to crack down on extraneous costs and rules that make it more expensive to live in Colorado.
Driving the news: The handful of bills moving separately through the Legislature would:
- Prohibit setting rent prices using an algorithmic software, which critics say are used to price fix rentals at expensive rates;
- Allow churches and schools to build housing on their property;
- Block landlords from demanding rent and penalties when a tenant dies;
- Require landlords to disclose any fees or extra costs associated with the rental agreement;
- Prevent insurance companies for setting prices based on the breed of a tenant's dog;
- Guarantee a tenant's right to a jury trial in eviction cases.
What they're saying: "They kind of nickel and dime you one little thing, and all of a sudden you're paying so much more money every year," said state Rep. Naquetta Ricks (D-Aurora), a sponsor of the fee disclosure bill, told Denver7.
The big picture: Short of money in the state budget this year, lawmakers can't subsidize more affordable housing so they are targeting landlords who set the rates.
- Half of renters in the Denver metro are spending 30% to 50% of their income on rent and utilities, meaning they are rent-burdened.
What we're watching: Two other bills designed to address affordable housing are aimed at helping builders.
- The most high-profile measure would make it harder to claim a construction defect on certain properties to incentivize condominium development.
- Another bill requires apartment buildings to have only one stairwell, making it less costly to build.