Colorado Senate Advances Tenant Protection Bill Despite Landlord Opposition

The Colorado Senate approved legislation that might raise the difficulty of renter eviction for landlords.

After a full day of debate, House Bill 24-1098 received approval on second reading by voice vote soon before 5 p.m. Tenants would not be able to be evicted or have their leases terminated without a valid reason if the measure passed.

Colorado Measure Aims to Protect Tenants

The purpose of the measure in Colorado is to protect tenants, particularly those who have reservations about being evicted for complaining about any kind of issues, including living conditions. In the previous month, the measure was approved by the House of Representatives.

However, it is necessary for the Senate to vote on it once more before it is sent back to the House for MPs to examine modifications that were introduced by the Senate. If the revisions are approved by the House of Representatives, the measure will be sent over to the governor.

The "just cause" plan from the previous year was significantly lowered in this year's version, but the basic goal of the measure, which is to make it more difficult for landlords to remove tenants by refusing to renew their leases, was maintained.

According to the legislation as it stands, landlords are often free to choose whether or not to offer a lease renewal to their tenants.

Under the new legislation, they would be required to provide a particular explanation for their refusal, such as if the property is going to be sold, extensively repaired, or repaired, or if the family of the landlord intends to move in. If the landlord does not have a clear reason, they are expected to provide a new lease with "reasonable" terms, according to Denver 7.

Colorado Law Boosts Tenant Protections

However, they are allowed to raise the rent and make other modifications to the agreement that was previously in place between them and the tenant. In case that the landlord does not comply with the new law that is being proposed, the tenant would have a solid legal argument against being compelled to relocate.

Even before this week, supporters of the legislation had already given up on their idea that landlords would be liable for automatic compensation for certain violations of the law. The amendments to the measure have taken down some of the most restrictive provisions.

Senator Kyle Mullica, a Democrat, at one time advocated a complete rewriting that would have merely required landlords to provide notice before allowing a lease to expire. This would have been the only requirement necessary. The plan was backed by Republicans, but it failed since it did not receive support from Democrats.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there are five more states that have eviction rules that are comparable to the "just cause" or "good cause" legislation described above. These states are New Jersey, California, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Washington.

The particulars of their policies, on the other hand, are different. "Just cause" laws were shown to be connected with decreased eviction rates in California communities, based on a study that was conducted in 2019. The state of New Jersey has had a rule like this in place since 1974, and reformers say that it has not had any adverse effects on the rental market.