Roughly 2 million Coloradans are renters. And as for those of us who are fortunate enough to own our homes, a full 72% carry a mortgage — second highest in the nation. If folks can’t pay because they’ve just lost their jobs (like the draw-dropping 22 million Americans who’ve filed for unemployment in the past […]
landlord
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Coloradans facing threat of eviction, foreclosure cry out for relief
Despite Gov. Polis’ forceful encouragement to local governments, county courts and landlords to halt evictions, tenants still are getting threats to pay now or get out! It’s no wonder people are clamoring for rent strikes, mortgage forbearance and other measures. Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG), a broad-based, nonpartisan organizing strategy with member congregations, unions […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Anything short of a rapid response to the coronavirus is criminal
Across the country, rents were due on April 1, but countless Americans — many of whom joined the record 10 million new unemployment claims — can’t pay. In Colorado alone, an informal survey of 300 residents by my Senate campaign found that 23% of respondents were unable to afford rent in April. By May, that […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: We bailed out the banks, now it’s their turn to bail the people out
It is April 1, and rents and many mortgages are due and people across this country are unemployed, underemployed and losing their businesses due to a government-mandated stay-at-home order. But this order has been given without any guarantee that we will all have and keep our shelter. The science is clear — these are the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado renters may have eviction records even though they’ve never been evicted. Lawmakers want to change that.
Every time an eviction case is filed by a landlord in Colorado, it produces a court record, even if the tenant wins and gets the case dismissed. Those eviction filing records are swiftly scraped up by third-party tenant screening companies that use them to produce rental reports for landlords that aren’t always accurate. “And so […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado’s legislature is taking on the affordable housing crisis
When session began in January, Speaker KC Becker asked the chamber to tackle the rising cost of housing here in Colorado. Our constituents are also calling on the legislature to address the affordable housing crisis in our state. Many Coloradans are being driven out of the communities they grew up in while others can barely […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: House Bill 1118 could help renters avoid eviction
One consequence of Colorado’s tight housing market is an escalating homelessness crisis. This affects all communities and is not something that can be ignored. Forced evictions — which displace families and often lead to homelessness — are an unfortunate symptom to a spreading community ill. Under current Colorado law, a landlord is only required to […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Growth, News, Politics and Government
It’s the Year of the Renter at the Colorado statehouse, from rent control to less stringent eviction timelines
First it was the bed bugs that infested the couch and the roaches scuttling through the kitchen. But the worst was the day the boiler room exploded, sending residents of Kelsey Danna’s apartment complex screaming and running as a gas man shouted at them to get to safety. The Englewood complex didn’t have heat for […]