[Colorado-Talk] Info for Renters

[tkeenan79 at gmail.com]

Hi, all,

 

With the recent messages from people moving into the state, and because I'm
sure many of us rent, I thought people might find this helpful. This is a
recap from the Denver Post about three new laws that just went into effect.
I think the Income Requirement limitations might prove particularly valuable
because in my search, many places required that you earn three times as much
as your rent, which I did not.

 

Anyway, here it is:

Applications

HB23-1099 allows renters to re-use rental applications - like background
screeners - across multiple prospective landlords, so long as the report is
no more than 30 days old. Landlords are required to tell applicants about
the portable background screeners. If a landlord rejects a prospective
tenant's application, the landlord must provide a copy of the background
screener that they used, and tenants are allowed to contest that report's
contents.

Proponents say the new law will cut down on application fees, which can add
up during apartment hunts.

Lease agreements

HB23-1095 institutes new regulations around what can and can't be included
in lease agreements. The new law prohibits landlords from requiring that
tenants waive certain legal rights in their leases, like the ability to
participate in class-action lawsuits or jury trials. It also prohibits
landlords from charging renters a penalty if the renter doesn't give notice
that they aren't renewing their lease. Landlords can charge a fee, though,
if they suffered an actual loss because they didn't receive notice.

The new law also limits how much landlords can charge in third-party fees,
like for pest control or trash collection.

Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Denver Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said in a
statement that the law prohibits "traps that some landlords have used to
take advantage of unsuspecting tenants."

Income requirements

SB23-184 sets limits on how much income landlords can require a tenant to
earn. Under the law, income requirements are capped at double the cost of
rent. Proponents have said that some landlords previously required that
tenants make three to five times as much as they'd pay in rent.

The law also caps security deposits at double the cost of a month's rent,
and it limits how a landlord can use a prospective tenant's credit or rental
history.

 

 

Cheers,

Tim

 

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