An article recently appeared in The Denver Post discussing the state’s safe housing law and landlords being required to provide quicker response times to address problems:

The recent legislation includes other changes, such as making it easier for tenants to formally flag problems to landlords, that came in response to a ruling last summer by the Colorado Court of Appeals. It found that a tenant at a separate property hadn’t properly informed his landlord of problems in his unit. The ruling, which pointed out potential loopholes in the state’s existing safe-housing laws, served as a call for legislators to amend the statute.

“Folks are asking to live in units that are free from mold; that if you’re lucky enough to live in an accessible unit (for people with disabilities) with an elevator, that your elevator gets fixed in a timely manner,” Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat who was one of the legislators who backed the changes, said at the bill signing ceremony this month.

Apartment Management Consultants, which assumed oversight of the property in late December, said in a statement to The Denver Post that it “immediately began resolving any ongoing issues from prior management” once it took over. MaryAnn Dewey, who testified on the company’s behalf in an early April hearing, told lawmakers that the hot water issues had been addressed, and she accused one tenant of lying to get cheap rent.

Other property owners who testified against tightening the safe-housing law said renters often contributed to issues in their apartments, including by pouring grease into drains, and that the new requirements were unreasonable for landlords.

To read the full article please visit The Denver Post: denverpost.com/2024/05/13/colorado-felix-apartments-renters-safe-housing-legislature

Photo credit: The Felix apartment building in Denver on May 7, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)