Bill would prevent discrimination against renters with dismissed evictions

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A new bill making its way through the Colorado legislature will provide relief for renters in Colorado who have had evictions filed against them that were then dismissed or vacated.

House Bill 20-1009 solves a problem that some renters face when moving to a new place in the Centennial State. Currently, eviction filings will stay on a person's court record even if they're dismissed because they were unfounded or retaliatory. That causes issues when new landlords run background checks and see the eviction filing but don't see the disposition.

The new bill would create an automatic suppression of court records while eviction proceedings are taking place, and if the eviction filing is dismissed, it'll be removed from public court records.

“Every renter in our state should have a fair shot at housing,” Democratic Rep. Dominique Jackson of Aurora said in a statement Thursday. “A vacated eviction or an ongoing, undecided eviction proceeding should never get in the way of a family having a roof over their head. I was pleased to see the Judiciary committee move this initiative forward and stand up for the rights of renters across the state.”

If the landlord or property manager does get the property through an eviction filing, the bill would also create an opportunity for the public court record to be suppressed if both parties agree.

The bill passed in the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7-1 Thursday afternoon.