COLORADO SPRINGS — Navigating the legal language of your rental agreement can be challenging for many, and for some, you may not even know what is in your lease agreement, but as a renter, you are designated certain rights as a tenant.
The City of Colorado Springs will be hosting a "Renters Rights 101" workshop this Thursday. In attendance will be Colorado Legal Service attorney Clinton Alber, who is making himself available to talk to workshop attendees about lease basics, reasonable accommodations and modifications, deposits, repairs, eviction, and updates on recent Colorado legislation on housing matters amongst other questions.
The workshop will run in-person or virtually from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Ruth Holley Library. You can register for the event here to receive a copy of the slides and event recording.
New state law sets time frames for landlords to make repairs
In recent years, Colorado has pushed for more tenant rights, SB 24-094 is meant to make sure property managers actually fix the problems you report. The bill sets deadlines for landlords so tenants don’t have to live in unsafe conditions. Landlords will have up to two weeks after they are notified by a tenant to make reasonable repairs. They have seven days when the condition interferes with the renter's life, health, or safety.
New Colorado laws take effect, aimed at making housing more attainable
Another change that came in 2023 was the passage of SB 23-184, which caps minimum income requirements for renters and limits the amount landlords can charge for a security deposit. Previously, many landlords required tenants to make at least three times what they charge for rent and capped the security deposit landlords could charge to just two months' worth of rent.
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Is it 'truly' affordable to live in Colorado Springs?
How easy is it to find an affordable home? If someone earns $51,000 a year and a third of their income goes to rent, they would need to find an apartment for about $1,280 a month. News5's Eleanor Sheahan takes you on a journey searching for this answer.
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