Renters will enjoy a slew of new protections, if several bills pending at the Colorado state legislature are passed.

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) recently detailed the possible bills and the changes they would bring. Among those being considered:

SB21-173. This would help renters who fall behind in rent by: 1) capping late fees at no more than 2.5% of the sum owed; 2) creating a 14-day grace period after the rent is due, before late fees can kick in; 3) preventing renters from being evicted for failing to pay a late fee.

The bill would also:

• Extend the time available to renters to repay back-rent after an eviction notice.
• Forbid landlords from forcing tenants to pay all legal fees for a case.
• Make it easier for renters to withhold rent when the home is in poor condition.
• Allow renters more legal power to collect damages when a landlord breaks the rules.

HB21-1121. The bill would extend the number of days it takes to evict someone from 19 to 42 days, “including a longer window in which the renter can repay the landlord.” It would also require that tenants receive eviction papers in person.  (Both elements are highly contested, notes CPR, and likely to face revision.)

HB21-1117. This would allow local governments to require developers of new housing units to offer a certain portion of those units at a lower rent, reversing a 2000 Colorado Supreme Court ruling that denied local governments that right.