Rights of renters are front and center at the Colorado State Capitol
State lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills this legislative session that impact renters, including a measure that would require landlords to have cause -- like unpaid rent -- before evicting a tenant.
Joy Bishop says she feared she would end up homeless when her apartment manager threatened her with eviction after she reported safety violations at her apartment complex: "She got right up in my face and she said 'I'm going to get rid of you if it's the last thing I do.'"
The 75-year-old says she was given 30 days to find a new place to live: "I asked her why and she said 'I don't have to tell you anything.'"
Today, Bishop helps others facing eviction as a volunteer with United for a New Economy - an organization that helps people secure safe and stable housing. The group is one of the driving forces behind a bill that would prevent evictions unless a tenant violates the terms of the lease, or if the owner plans to renovate, sell, or live in the place themselves. Tenants would still have to sue if they are wrongly evicted but they would have a defense. A similar measure failed last year but this year's version - more limited in scope - will likely pass along with a bill that waives eviction fees for all tenants. Supporters say the bills will help prevent retaliation and discrimination.
Drew Hamrick with the Colorado Apartment Association says there are already laws that do that and the bills will hurt more than help: "The real problem becomes those behavioral violations that you know about but can't prove. You can't prove it because the other residents in your community are afraid."
The eviction protections are part of a package of renters' rights bills at the capitol this year. They include a measure that would require landlords or builders to address health and safety concerns -- like mold or a broken furnace or air conditioner -- within days or weeks not months and pay for alternative housing for tenants in some cases.
There are also bills that outlaw the use of algorithms or formulas to set rents and require towing companies to bill a property owner in certain cases if a vehicle is wrongly towed from the premises.
"All these changes have the unfortunate and unintended consequences of increasing operational cost and deterring investment in the state," Hamrick said.
But Bishop sees the bills as simply leveling the playing field for renters like her: "Instead of constantly being in fear of where you're going to be sleeping tomorrow night."
According to court records, a record number of Denverites -- nearly 13,000 -- faced evictions last year.
The bill will get its first hearing Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. before the House Transportation Housing and Local Government Committee.
