While Colorado’s critically unaffordable housing crisis is far from over, the state is making progress for residents now, and in the future.
State lawmakers are considering House Bill 1313, which would provide communities like Denver and Aurora new revenue to improve high-density transit corridor housing projects. Both the mechanism of the bill and the intent are important parts of prompting construction of the type of housing most likely to drive down market rental costs.
Similarly, legislation that would end local limits on the number of people who can share a home — a practice with deep roots in discrimination — and ending outright bans on so-called “accessory dwelling units” — backyard mother-in-law homes — will make life easier and better for rent-stricken Coloradans.
Less obvious to the cause, but just as critical, is House Bill 1098, signed into law last week by Gov. Jared Polis.
Dubbed an “eviction for cause” measure, the new law would require rental owners to provide fair and just reasons for evicting a tenant.
For most people, the measure sounds unnecessary. Many believe, wrongfully, that property owners must already honor leases or offer renewals to willing leaseholders.
It’s not the case.
When a lease is up, landlords currently can simply choose to not renew with a tenant without providing a reason, without any meaningful notice. They may not like the tenant, even if they pay rent on time and take good care of the property. They may want to simply oust a current tenant to raise rent for the next occupant.
Now law, this measure would still allow property owners to do pretty much what they want with the property, but they must provide notice or a lease extension before booting a current renter.
Tenants having to, or even choosing to, move in and out of metroplex homes amid rising rents only adds to the unaffordable housing problem.
Colorado has long been demure on protecting the rights of renters when it comes to ensuring housing conditions and other protections.
This new measure appreciates that current renters are paying upward of $30,000 annually or more to landlords for house rents, and in many cases, much more. This measure codifies renter protections for what have become very large and critical contracts.
At the same time, the new law continues to allow landlords complete control of their properties when renters don’t abide by their contracts.
Landlords can still evict a tenant anytime during a lease for not paying rent, damaging the property, or creating a “substantial” lease violation.
And a landlord can still not renew a lease if the owner wants to turn the property into a short-term rental, sell it, raze the house or even move in themselves.
These changes and others are necessary to help counter a chaotic real estate market that has drawn commercial property owners in at a rate the market cannot sustain for renters and even private-property owners.
This and other efforts hold promise to help offset too-high housing costs, but nothing short of market demand will push rental rates down. The metroplex, and much of the state, must build more affordable, high-density housing as quickly as possible to create a vacancy rate that keeps the market competitive.
The authors here that are endorsing the idea high density mandates are beneficial must really like having neighbors shoe-horned into every nook and cranny. Already these state legislators are facing the fact not everyone feels they know or have a clue what’s best, or how to use real property. These local governments with their high density cluster as tight as you can code changes are also being legally challenged. We have seen some of the challenging take place in Aurora all ready. Aurora planning dept approved and recommended several large apartment complex be built. Of course planning had to approve several variances, to manipulate standard building codes.
https://sentinelcolorado.com/0trending/aurora-council-gives-green-light-to-eagle-bend-apartments-over-neighbors-objections/
“We say planning is allowing Garrett to pack too much in too little space.” said James Folk a local representative of the neighborhood.
And then again, 100 acres by Denver International Airport that was set aside next to the airport runways but oddly in Aurora and Adams county zoned as industrial/ commercial/ and specifically not to be residential. Aurora Zoning worries, no problem! Westside builders managed after buying the land curiously convinced our most well-informed… second -to-none planning department to go for a R-1 zoning change for high density housing. Aurora Planning, no problem here and pushed it, Aurora city Council of course bought into it and approved the zoning change.
This time the city of Denver sued Aurora and Westside which rather than fight they quietly acquiesced and Aurora reversed the zoning back to its original.
Property rights in this country still remain sacred. Privacy goes along with it, most people are unwilling to had it over to the Government for whatever use they feel is best no matter how much of the fast-talking jive.