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Mostly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 59F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
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Showers and thundershowers this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 46F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Updated: May 17, 2021 @ 9:57 am
In hopes of getting a handle on the size and makeup of this city s rental market and also raising the floor for dwelling requirements, Denver City Council has enacted a new landlord licensing system as part of a Healthy Residental Rentals for All program. This is a basic responsibility for a city the size and depth of Denver, that we know what our rental stack is and it meets basic habitation rules, Councilmember Jamie Torres said during the May 3 council meeting, before her colleagues unanimously approved the proposal.
The ordinance, championed by council President Stacie Gilmore, sets minimum standards that residential landlords will have to meet in Denver in order to receive a license to rent out a property. The standards include appliances being in good working condition and free of leaks ; landlords must also ensure that all dwelling units within a residential rental property contain a functioning smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher.
Council president touts rental license plan but industry voices concerns
Guerilla Capturing photo)
Citing a need to broadly overhaul regulation of the city’s estimated 50,000-plus rental housing market, Denver City Council President Stacie Gilmore on Wednesday presented her proposal to institute a license requirement for rental properties to her colleagues.
The Denver Metro Association of Realtors and the Colorado Apartment Association were among those voicing opposition.
Gilmore’s proposal, titled Healthy Residential Rentals for All, would be by far the largest single licensing program in the city, and the largest expansion of required licensing in Denver’s history.
It would obligate landlords to get a license from the city for each of their rental properties every four years, a process that would require an inspection of the property.
The Colorado Apartment Association called the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâs extension of the eviction moratorium to June 30 âunnecessary.â
âThe eviction moratorium will have long-lasting effects with great impacts, including increased debt from back rent, additional delinquencies on utilities and other bills, and more challenges to the ability of housing providers to keep people housed,â said the CAAâs general counsel and senior vice present of government affairs, Drew Hamrick, in a release.
Hamrick noted two federal courts found it to be invalid, due to exceeding the agencyâs authority, and unconstitutional.
âNow is the time to be phasing out government manipulation of private commerce rather than enacting a new unlawful moratorium,â the statement said.