AURORA | In an effort to address poor living conditions and better enforce code violations, the city is moving forward with developing a rental registration and licensing program.

On Monday, city council unanimously approved a resolution to direct the city manager to develop a potential registration program, which would need approval from council before it could be implemented.

The city has for decades had a systematic apartment rental inspection program to evaluate buildings with more than eight units for health and safety standards. Inspections for other rental properties are available at the request of tenants. 

However, the city has continuously heard issues about rental conditions, including drawing national attention after managers of an apartment complex claimed, without evidence, that poor conditions were caused by Venezuelan gangs. The city has since settled a lawsuit against the property owners, after shutting down the apartments and deeming them unlivable for a period of time.

Speakers at Monday’s meeting reiterated that some rental properties in the city are not livable or have serious concerns, including mold, insect infestations and broken heating and air conditioning.

One Aurora renter, who spoke in Spanish and was accompanied by a translator, said she has had experience with her landlord ignoring mice and insect infestations, as well as other poor conditions. She said renters aren’t asking for much except a safe place to live.

“We don’t want to rent for free, we want dignified housing with fair rent,” she said.

Gia Nyhuis, an attorney for Justice for the People Legal Center, echoed the concerns she’s heard from clients and urged the council to support the resolution. She added that there are not enough legal resources to help tenants navigate 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.”

Previously, Joshua King, manager of the neighborhood support division, told the council that a registration and licensing program would help bolster the existing inspection program by ensuring the city has contact information for rental properties in case of emergencies or violations.

Councilmember Alison Coombs said Monday that the resolution will collect information to guide future regulations, which would need to be approved by council. Coombs said it’s possible that the council will have multiple ideas on how the licensing program should work after engaging with the community. 

“We can work together on doing the community outreach and then we can bring forward the ordinances that end up making sense through that process of community engagement,” 

With the approval of council, next steps include conducting research and having conversations with stakeholders and the community this summer and fall with the goal of bringing the proposed program to council in the winter. 

As part of the research for a potential program, staff will determine the number of staff needed to operate the program, potential fees for registration and how to collaborate with existing tenant resources at the state level. 

Councilmember Stephanie Hancock requested that staff ensure property owners and landlords or property managers are included in the stakeholder discussions. Staff said they plan to include both tenants and landlords in the process.

Implementation could start next year if the council supports the program.

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