URGENT — Please contact Colorado House members today to OPPOSE SB21-173 in regards to Rent Control
Members,
One of the most radically harmful bills to our industry this legislative session (SB21-173) was scheduled for committee yesterday to be heard by the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee scheduled for Tuesday March 16, 2021 at 2:00 pm. We have even less time to respond to this bill than we usually do, which is a clear attempt to catch the industry off guard.
We need members to immediately generate opposition emails to sign up for testimony at the Committee Hearing. It is an extremely long and complicated bill. To assist you in making sense of the issues, we provide you with the summary and talking points below and the full text of the bill can be found at:
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2021A/bills/2021a_173_01.pdf
The briefest summary possible is the bill prevents charging late fees until payment is 14 days late, caps those fees at 2.5% of past due rent, prohibits agreements for reasonable lease break fees, and requires housing providers to accept partial payments and file multiple lawsuits for the remaining balance. It paralyzes the court system by converting possession cases to jury trials. It eliminates court safeguards by abolishing warranty of habitability bonds and appeal bonds. It mandates punitive penalties including a $5,000 minimum penalty, attorney fees and treble damages.
Emailing Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee Members
To help you generate opposition emails to the committee members, we have partnered with the Apartment Association who have created a link: click here to take action that will automatically create emails to committee members and contains a suggested communication for anyone that does not have the ability to compose their own. Please take the time to add your own unique words and arguments as they are more persuasive than only repeating our canned suggestions.
Get Ready to Testify Against the Bill
The CLLC will host a member preparation meeting on Monday March 15, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Please attend the meeting via Zoom if you are able https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81924043674.
We’ll bring you up to speed on the bill, its problems, suggested talking points, and the testimony tactics. Testimony is easy and fun.
Sign up to Testify
The state has established a platform to allow you to testify via Webex call (like Zoom). You will not have to drive down the capital and endure the delays and rescheduling that always go along with committee hearings. We need a strong representation in the Webex platform, the link for registration is: click here to sign up to testify.
The easiest way to locate this hearing is using the “By Committee and Hearing Item” Tab. To sign up you will need to select the following from the drop down tabs:
Committee Name: Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs
Meeting Time and Date: 03/16/2021 02:00 PM
Hearing Item: Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs SB21-173 Rights in Residential Lease Agreements (Gonzales, Moreno, Caraveo, GonzalesGuitierrez)
Position: Against
Representing: Self
Killing this bill in this Committee is a long shot. The Sponsor of the Bill is also the Committee Chair. However, our engagement at this early step will significantly improve our odds of defeating or modifying these radical proposals throughout the process.
As always, we appreciate our members time and support in generating emails and signing up to voice your opposition to the committee.
Help the CLLC support Housing Providers by becoming a Member today!
Colorado Landlord Legislative Coalition