A proposed state law would protect rule-abiding tenants from being forced out of their rentals and into the brutal housing market.
tenants
Posted inGrowth, Health, News, Politics and Government, Wildfire
Colorado passed new laws intended to help tenants. But those affected by the Marshall fire say they’re not working.
Before the Marshall fire burned about 1,000 homes in Louisville and Superior and rained potentially toxic ash on hundreds of others, Colorado strengthened laws for tenants doing battle with landlords. One law change in 2020 prohibited price gouging, including for rent, after a disaster. Another recent legislative update said landlords have 24 hours to address […]
Posted inBusiness, News
Eviction ban or not, Colorado tenants still worry about their rent while landlords struggle to survive
Vikki Miller began 2020 with a divorce. Then the coronavirus started spreading in Colorado. Now she faces homelessness. The Colorado Springs resident stopped working as an Uber driver in March and hasn’t returned because her immune system is compromised. She’s been unable to find a new gig that lets her work safely at home. In […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Growth, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor bans evictions for tenants who can prove financial hardship because of coronavirus
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday issued an executive order banning Colorado landlords from evicting tenants who can prove financial hardship because of the coronavirus crisis. The order, which lasts at least 30 days, comes after the Democrat faced months of pressure from housing advocates to protect renters from losing their homes during the pandemic. Polis […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Crime and Courts, Politics and Government
“We have nowhere to go”: Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans at risk of eviction
Colorado renters will get more help with their rent payments and have an extra 20 days before non-payment of rent leads to eviction under an executive order signed this week by Gov. Jared Polis. But housing advocates say the order isn’t enough to keep thousands of people from being forced from their homes. “He just […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Michael Bennet: Coronavirus and a housing crisis go hand in hand. Congress must act.
It is hard to ask someone to socially distance if they have been forced out of their home. But in the middle of the worst pandemic in a century, we risk a new outbreak of evictions as 40 million Americans have lost their jobs and millions more struggle with reduced incomes. Colorado residents are about […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Why Colorado needs an immediate statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures
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 […]
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: 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 […]