Eviction bill could help residents if lease expires

BY ANDREW KENNEY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

A bill advancing through the Colorado legislature would make it easier for renters to stay in their homes even after their lease expires, and it also would give them other protections against eviction.

e bill passed the House Transportation, Housing & Local Government committee on a party-line vote on March 1.

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Currently, when a lease ends the landlord can decide whether the tenant gets to stay. For example, they could simply refuse to o er a renewal of the current lease — forcing the tenant to leave or be evicted. at system makes it too easy for landlords to get rid of renters, even if the renters have done nothing wrong, said Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Democratic sponsor of the bill, H.B. 23-1171.

‘’When their leases are up, the landlord refuses to o er a new lease,” Mabrey said at a committee hearing on Wednesday. “We’re trying to prevent that kind of retaliation.”

Under the new proposal, some of the power would shift to the tenant. In many cases, landlords would essentially be required to o er a renewal of the lease in “substantially identical” terms. If they fail to do so, renters could keep paying rent under the terms of the previous lease — and they would be protected from eviction.

Opponents of the bill, including real-estate interests and smaller landlords, warned it would place an undue burden on landlords. ey also said it could lead some to leave the market or raise rents. e proposal would allow landlords to make a “reasonable” rent increase when they renew the lease. But Mabrey said that was not meant to act as a form of rent control. (He is running another bill on that topic.)

“We’re just trying to prevent retaliatory rent increases,” Mabrey said.

At the hearing, renters and their advocates described cases where landlords refused to renew leases for retaliatory or discriminatory reasons, such as because of a renter’s immigration status or because the renter had asked for repairs. Others talked about being forced out of their homes as the landlord pursued higher rents.

“ is goes back to the prevention of homelessness and making sure that we keep people in their homes,” said Rep. Serena GonzalesGuttierez, a Democratic cosponsor of the bill. Sen. Julie Gonzales also is sponsoring the bill.