Font ResizeA bill that would give tenants in rental properties more legal protection passed the Senate on an initial vote Monday.
House Bill 1356 would require landlords to provide renters with habitable, safe places to live that include things such as hot water, working lights and functioning sewage systems. Sponsors are calling the measure the tenants' bill of rights and say Colorado is one of only two states without such protections.
"The only people who need to be afraid of this bill are landlords who are slumlords and are not taking good care of their tenants," said Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, one of the bill's sponsors.
But opponents said the bill is overly protective of tenants who sign leases without reading the fine print and said the bill has loopholes that could allow it to be abused. Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said the bill would increase litigation. "This is a mistaken direction, even if we need to beef up tenant protection," Mitchell said. ". . . This bill is the lawyer dream act of 2008." John Ingold, The Denver Post
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