A proposed state law would protect rule-abiding tenants from being forced out of their rentals and into the brutal housing market.
landlords
Posted inOpinion
Zornio: Colorado renters need better protections and more enforcement
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has taken a blunt approach to defining its role in assisting renters with landlord troubles: On a mostly empty webpage, five words direct you to a non-government phone number with subsequent bold text that reads, “The Colorado Division of Housing does not enforce any housing codes nor mediate landlord/tenant […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Denver landlords are required to heat their rentals. They should also cool them in the summer
Even before summer officially arrived June 21, it had been hot in Denver — record-tying hot. As temperatures soared into the high 90s for multiple days, Denver tied all-time heat records on June 11 and June 13. If you’re fortuitous enough to have air conditioning or cooling, you probably stayed home in the cool air. […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News
Colorado’s COVID rent-assistance program may have paid up to $4.4 million in error, audit finds
A popular COVID-19 rental assistance program mistakenly paid out at least $625,000 and perhaps as much as $4.4 million, the Colorado Office of the State Auditor said in a report released Monday. The state Division of Housing used the Property Owner Preservation program to make rent payments to landlords whose tenants had lost jobs or […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Recycling and composting can reduce greenhouse gasses
With the release of the United Nations’ most recent climate report, a code-red warning is yet another striking reminder that the impacts of climate change are worsening. Severe weather events and natural disasters that once were rare are now intensifying throughout the world—we can no longer chalk it up to another “bad year.” We know […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: It’s time to lock in affordable housing stock before the market snaps it all up
East Colfax always was the kind of neighborhood where people could reliably find affordable housing close to downtown Denver, and it was predominantly home to families of color, one result of redlining policies that dictated where people could and could not live. Then the housing market crashed and nearly 20 percent of homes in the […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Colorado sees record $55 million in rent assistance requests in past month — more than all of 2020
A record number of applications seeking help with monthly rent or mortgage payments flooded Colorado’s rent-assistance programs in January after a state eviction moratorium ended. More than $55 million was requested between Jan. 4 and Feb. 8, which was more than all of 2020, according to data from the state Division of Housing. But the […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News
A national eviction ban will help Colorado renters stay housed until March 31, but there are asterisks
State’s rental assistance programs receive $247 million in federal aid. Tenants can now apply for three months of future rent, which has property owners saying there’s no need for moratoriums.
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
Colorado has money to help struggling renters, but some landlords won’t play ball
Federal and state funding has helped thousands of Coloradans pay their monthly rent or mortgage bills during the pandemic, and in turn, helped nearly 3,000 landlords get their own bills paid. But while there’s cash assistance available to both, the program heavily relies on landlords — and if landlords are unwilling to participate, renters are […]
Posted inBusiness, News
What’s Working: As coronavirus cases increased, so did the number of Coloradans filing for unemployment
As coronavirus cases in Colorado are on the rise again, so are business restrictions and, ultimately, the number of Coloradans finding themselves newly unemployed. The number of folks on unemployment for the first time increased 25% during the week of Halloween from the prior week, pushing over 10,000 for the first time since July 25. […]