Less than two years after the passage of legislation creating significant new protections for tenants in Colorado, the state Senate on Tuesday gave first-round approval to a bill expanding renters’ rights.
The measure does not make many changes to current law, but Republicans, who opposed the bill, said they were major and would hurt landlords and renters.
“The result of this, truly, in my opinion, is probably going to be higher rent,” said Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.
Sponsored by Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, the bill makes modifications to a 2008 law that basically specified landlords must guarantee a rental unit is fit to live in.
Shaffer’s bill says a landlord would be in violation of the law if the rental unit was “in a condition that materially affects health or safety.”
Current law says a violation occurs only if the unit is “in a condition that is materially dangerous or hazardous to the tenant’s life, health or safety.”
“I think we’re really opening a Pandora’s box here with this standard,” Renfroe said. “How do you determine what affects safety?”
Shaffer, though, said he was just trying to level the playing field for renters in legal proceedings.
And Republicans also decried a proposed change in the law dealing with retaliation. Shaffer’s bill strips out language he said allows landlords to throw out renters who complain — before they have a chance to prove wrongdoing by the landlord.
Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, himself a landlord, said that would empower problem renters.
“If I have a disruptive tenant, by darn, I probably will be retaliatory,” Schultheis said.
The bill won initial approval on a voice vote, and the Senate must approve it once more before it can move to the House.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com
