While Denver’s booming economy is certainly good news, skyrocketing home prices and rents are not.
With the average price for a single-family home in Denver at $540,624 according to a report by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, homeownership remains less and less attainable for many. But with the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment at $1,050 according to a report by Apartment Lists, it’s clear that being a renter isn’t much better.
The rental situation is so bad that the Colorado Center for Law and Policy believes Denver is in an eviction crisis.
When staying in your home is difficult and finding a new one is next to impossible, many renters — particularly seniors, low-wage earners and people of color — find themselves vulnerable and at risk of exploitation by dishonest landlords. The result? There were more than 8,000 eviction cases in Denver last year.
But renters gained some ground this month when a new law with a simple, common sense protection took effect: When you pay your rent, you can ask for a receipt.
Previously, rent receipts weren’t readily available. That means if you paid your rent in cash, there was no paper trail saying explicitly that you did in fact pay your rent. That was the case for a constituent whose story was shared by Kristen Seidel — a coordinator for the Denver Women’s Collaborative — during her testimony in favor of this simple solution.
Seidel didn’t use the woman’s name to protect her privacy, but said after 15 years of being a good tenant, the woman’s landlord threatened to kick her out for not paying rent. The staff at The Gathering Place, a drop-in shelter for homeless women in City Park West, knew for a fact that it just wasn’t true. They approached her landlord and he abruptly changed his story. He then claimed she paid every month, but not the full amount. And because the transactions were all in cash, it would be his word against hers in court.
The Gathering Place saw his pattern of bullying her into paying more, but there was no paper trail that could prove that she was being shaken down. Even after she took refuge with The Gathering Place, the landlord pursued and harassed her. When he started harassing the staff, they banned him from the building. Still threatened with an eviction that would crush her ability to find housing, The Gathering Place paid a $400 eviction fee to clear her debt, and she agreed to find a new place to live.
That didn’t happen. Unable to find another place, the landlord pulled her aside and said she could stay in the rental. It wasn’t long before he filed another eviction, kicked her to the streets, and she has been homeless in Denver ever since.
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This case is all too familiar for too many Denverites who pay rent in cash, but can be refused a receipt, or even a copy of the lease itself. But this ends now.
As a business professional, I know that good record keeping protects both sides in an honest transaction — that’s why we fought hard to pass this bill. It might not be a big change in the law, but it is the sort of change that makes a big difference to Coloradans who are struggling but doing the right thing. And with this new protection, and the protections recently passed by Denver City Council, renters are empowered to fight back against predatory landlords.
A home is the foundation for opportunity and as our state and local economies continue to grow, we must remain vigilant in our fight to ensure that every Coloradan can afford to keep a roof over their heads.
Angela Williams is a Colorado State Senator representing District 33
