Rent is due, and coronavirus means many Coloradans don't have the money
“Dozens of letters from landlords to tenants shared either with The Denver Post directly or via the new Facebook group
Colorado Rent Strike and Eviction Defenseshow that landlords are taking a wide range of approaches. Some have promised to freeze rent levels for a few months. Many are offering payment plans and saying they’ll work with tenants facing hardship.
Others are continuing to charge late fees, and threatening consequences.
“We WILL exercise to evict you for non-payment ASAP!!!” reads one letter shared with The Post.
“My landlord sent out a mass email saying they are expecting rent on the first, that they’ll still be processing evictions,” Broker said. “It almost feels like my landlord doesn’t care about my life, that they would rather see me die than give me a month of free rent.”
Landlords, for whom few aid sources seem available right now, in many cases say they can’t afford a rent freeze — something advocates have called on Polis to support, but that he’s not backing.
“If people don’t pay their rent, who pays the housing provider’s employees, or the provider’s vendors, cleaning crews?” Lyng said. “Who pays the landlord’s debt obligations, mortgage payments? We’re all just part of this ecosystem. We’re all asking people to work together.””
