Aurora seeks renters, owners for new board

Aurora is asking residents to apply for a new advisory board focused on rental housing. The city needs 13 volunteers to help draft a registration and licensing program for landlords. Applications are due on Nov. 16.

City council approved the idea in June. The goal is to strengthen the current inspection system and code enforcement for rental units. The task force will not write the final rules but will advise lawmakers on how the program should work.

The board will have a specific mix of members. It will include three tenant representatives. Two spots are reserved for small rental owners with seven or fewer units. Two more spots are for large multifamily owners or operators with eight or more units. One property-management professional will also serve. One affordable-housing or nonprofit housing provider is included. One legal-aid or tenant-services representative will join the group. One neighborhood or community representative rounds out the citizen members. Two city council members will also sit on the board.

The group is expected to meet once or twice per month. All meetings will be open to the public. Members can find the application at AuroraGov.org/Boards.

In June, Gia Nyhuis, an attorney for Justice for the People Legal Center, spoke to the council. She noted that legal resources in the region are not enough to help tenants with habitability issues. "This type of program is an incredibly important tool in ensuring that the laws on the books, laws that say that if a landlord chooses to rent a unit, that unit must be livable, that those laws are enforced, and that the renters in Aurora are living in safe and habitable housing," Nyhuis said. "As it currently operates, the legal field alone is not enough of an enforcement mechanism for warranty of habitability violations."

The new program will build on the existing apartment rental inspection program. That program regularly evaluates buildings with more than eight units for health and safety standards. Inspections for other rental properties are available if a tenant requests them. Even with these inspections, the city regularly hears about troubling rental conditions. One case drew national attention when managers of an apartment complex claimed poor conditions were caused by Venezuelan gangs. The city settled a lawsuit against those property owners after shutting down the apartments and deeming them unlivable.

The task force will provide input on what the registration and licensing program should look like. It will consider how to enforce laws that require rental units to be safe and habitable.