FORT COLLINS, Colo., July 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The enactment of House Bill 1007 yesterday bans local governments from enforcing occupancy limits, effectively eliminating rules made to limit non-related persons from sharing housing. However, 72% of Colorado landlords said they wanted to enforce occupancy limits outside of health code standards. This is one of many findings in a new report from TurboTenant, a property management software provider.
TurboTenant deploys bimonthly surveys to track the state of the U.S. rental industry. In May 2024, 55% of landlords favored limiting rental occupancy nationwide. But in anticipation of HB24-1007, most Colorado landlords found themselves at odds with lawmakers.
"I understand that with the increase in prices of everything, costs are high. It makes sense to have roommates to bring costs down,” said John T., a landlord with more than 16 years of rental experience. “[But] when there are multiple unrelated people in the rental, there are more problems."
Many Colorado landlords favoring occupancy limits echoed similar sentiments, citing increased wear and tear plus a higher probability of issues between tenants as top concerns. 22% of respondents noted that they didn’t know enough to have an opinion on occupancy limits, while 6% opposed limiting occupancy beyond health code standards.
Despite the majority of local landlords favoring occupancy limits, Gov. Polis’ decision to enact HB24-1007 serves as a response to Colorado experiencing the second-worst housing deficit in the U.S. as of March 2024. By eliminating strict occupancy limits like the “U+2” law in Fort Collins, Polis hopes to improve housing options statewide.
However, only 24% of Colorado tenants favored occupancy limits beyond health code standards, and a whopping 63% didn’t know enough to have an opinion.
When asked to explain his resistance to occupancy limits, renter William K. provided a succinct response: "Limiting occupancy offers security, and safety first. Less is more, in my opinion.”
About TurboTenant
TurboTenant’s mission is to empower landlords by providing the tools they need to thrive, including insight into industry trends. TurboTenant serves over 650,000 American landlords by offering rental applications, tenant screening, property marketing, maintenance management, lease agreements, online rent collection, and more.
Please contact press@turbotenant.com or visit turbotenant.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Krista Reuther
press@turbotenant.com
