Brickbat: Sit and Stay Awhile

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed a law limiting landlords' ability to evict tenants. Under the law, landlords can evict a tenant only for not paying the rent, destruction of property, disturbing the neighbors' peace, or another a substantial violation of the lease. The law also says landlords must renew a tenant's lease when it ends. The only exceptions are if the property is being sold, demolished, substantially renovated, turned it into a short-term rental, or if the landlord plans to move family in. And when those exceptions do apply, landlords must give tenants a 90-day notice.

Comments

[Mickey Rat]

He is not completely making evictions illegal, so Polis is still wonderfully libertarian, as Democrats go.

[rbike]

More awesome Gay justice in Colorado. Keep talking up this great libertarian governor of Colorado.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I guess at least it's not letting property owners open to squatters.

[Medulla Oblongata]

At this point, I wonder why landlords don't just wish for a fortuitous set of fires to accidentally burn down each and every one of their properties. I'm sure at this point they simply want to take their money and run.

[MatthewSlyfield]

I’m sure at this point they simply want to cut their losses and run.

FTFY.

[Vernon Depner]

I lost the house in a tragic boating accident.

[Don't look at me!]

If you make it look like an electrical thing……

[Medulla Oblongata]

"The only exceptions are if the property is being sold, demolished, substantially renovated, turned it into a short-term rental, or if the landlord plans to move family in."

Might as well submit those 90-day notices now, evict everyone at the end of their lease, and sell all the properties. There's no good reason to be a landlord to anyone anymore.

[TJJ2000]

Who's property did you think that was anyways... Geez.
They don't call it [our] housing for nothing do they? /s
Nothing is *YOURS* it is all [ours] per the Democratic manifesto.

[BillyG]

Why does Colorado think this bill is necessary? Replacing a tennant costs money. You have to find a new tennant, check their background, & you have down time between move out and move in. Why would someone do that without cause?

[Jerry B.]

But checking their background is racist and discrimination against returning citizens.

[Roberta]

True. The exceptions seem to cover all the reasons a landlord would want a tenant out. So it seems to be a do-nothing enactment that would appeal only to people who think there are crazy landlords out there evicting tenants for no good reason.

[TSR1225]

Tenants can be a big pain in the ass but not rise to level of eviction. examples: Slow pay every month, constant complaints about nothing, being a jackass to others in the building, abusing common areas ect. Now, as a landlord, I can't just let the lease expire, and you can bet that being a pain in the ass will not be accepted as grounds for not renewing the lease.

[Rise of the Impedance]

The law also says landlords must renew a tenant's lease when it ends.
Can the terms of the original lease able to be changed at renewal? Say, The market allows me to jack up the rent 50%. Do I merely have to give the current tenant the first chance to take new terms, or am I stuck with the current rate forever?

I gave up looking for link to the actual bill.

[Brandybuck]

So no more one year leases, all will be moving to month to month rentals.

While not anarcho-pure, I really don't have much issue with the new law. NOT PERFECT! But nothing in life is perfect, and this is definitely a trend AWAY from most states who act like squatters are sacred cows. Can only be evicted for cause, or at end of lease. For a Democrat state that's downright reactionary!

[LIBtranslator]

Convert the property to Redneck B&B and offer no leases.

[ducksalad]

Jared Polis is at risk of losing his Reason Magazine Award for Least-Anti-Libertarian Democratic Governor.