Struggling to make rent? Here’s what you need to know
Just this week, more than 6.65 million Americans — including 61,583 Coloradans — filed initial unemployment claims amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. With all of those people out of work, much of the economy frozen and the first week of a new month upon us, many renters are struggling to pay rent on time — or at all.
While renters are sometimes overlooked during housing policy discussions that often emphasize homeownership, the population of people who live in a home they don’t own is far from insignificant.
Statewide, 35.1% of housing units are renter occupied, according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year Estimate.
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In parts of Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley, particularly in counties with large universities, that rate is even higher. In Boulder County, 38% of homes are rented; Larimer County, 35.4%; Broomfield, 33.7%; and Weld, 27.4%.
Courts in Boulder and Weld counties have paused eviction orders through May and state leaders, including Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, have called on all the other counties to follow suit.
“Nobody should be without their home as we all grapple with this crisis,” Weiser said in a statement last month.
He added: “In this emergency, evicting any Coloradans from their homes would exacerbate the public health and economic crisis we are fighting together … I commend the many state courts that have already suspended or postponed eviction proceedings and are not accepting new eviction applications during this crisis.”
Gov. Jared Polis has taken steps to limit evictions during the crisis. An executive order issued March 20 directs the executive directors of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Regulatory Agencies “to work with property owners and landlords to identify any lawful measure to avoid removing or executing eviction procedures against tenants or mobile home owners without cause or as a result of late or non-payment of rent or minor tenancy violations until April 30.”
But even if renters are safe from eviction for the next couple of months, in most cases landlords still expect timely payment and will assess late fees or penalties.
“Today brings uncertainty for the entire rental housing industry as rent and mortgage payments loom large. Many residents will not be able to make their rental payments – through no fault of their own – which, in turn, will have devastating implications for apartment owners and operators,” according to a National Apartment Association statement made Wednesday. “To minimize the damage, NAA is urging those of our nation’s 40 million renters who’ve been financially unaffected by COVID-19 to make their rent payments in full and on time.”
There is no existing legislation that would prohibit a landlord from initiating the eviction process as soon as court-ordered moratoriums are lifted.
The eviction process typically takes six weeks, but if there are a glut of cases filed when the process is restarted, that timeline could be extended.
“The best thing you can do is to email or call your housing provider as soon as you find out that you are unable to pay your rent and ask him/her what options you have,” according to the Colorado Apartment Association. “Many housing providers are willing to waive late fees and work out restructured plans for residents with coronavirus-related income loss.“
The association compiled a list of local organizations and agencies providing assistance and resources for renters. Locally, those groups include Boulder Housing Partners, Fort Collins Housing Authority, CARE Housing, Longmont Community and Neighborhood Resources, and the OUR Center.
Polis last month directed $3 million from the Disaster Emergency Fund “be encumbered and made available to DOLA to provide short-term rental and mortgage assistance to low-income households facing financial hardship due to economic disruption associated with COVID-19, and prioritizing assistance to those who had continuous prior work history and lost employment,” according to an executive order.
Some local renters have taken to social media to decry attempts by landlords to raise rents on expiring leases during the coronavirus outbreak. Upping rents amid the crisis, while ethically dubious, is not illegal, according to the Colorado Apartment Association.
“If the lease is expired, a housing provider is entitled to adjust rents. However, the Colorado Apartment Association is encouraging housing providers not to raise rent during the COVID-19 pandemic,” association guidelines say.
Some renters want more than rate freezes.
More than 3,100 Facebook users have joined the Colorado Rent Strike and Eviction Defense group in recent weeks. The group’s slogan, which appears on the page’s header, reads: “We’re not asking. We’re not re-paying.”
There is some evidence that this group and others like it may be making some headway.
The Colorado COVID-19 Common Good Demands petition, which includes calls for rent waivers, has been signed by more than 600 people in recent days. Signees include Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca, Aurora City Councilwoman Alison Coombs and several other metro area government leaders.
In Longmont, Schuyler Trowbridge, who last year ran for mayor, contacted Colorado Rent Strike and Eviction Defense for support and successfully negotiated his rental rate down to a more affordable figure, according to a CBS Denver 4 report.
