Abstract
This Comment argues that the Colorado General Assembly should overturn the broad prohibition on modern forms of rent regulation, returning to municipalities the home-rule authority to enact policies like rent stabilization and MIH as affordable housing solutions. Part I explains the emergence of rent regulation nationwide and common forms of rent regulation. Part II describes Colorado's housing crisis before analyzing the State's prohibition on "rent control" alongside the Colorado Supreme Court's broad interpretation of "rent control." Part III argues
that the legislature should overturn restrictions on municipal rent regulation because home-rule municipalities are better positioned than the legislature to (A) tailor housing policies to the particular challenges of their community; (B) experiment and innovate to find the best housing policy solutions; and (C) balance and be accountable to varied, municipality-specific local interests. Part IV assumes a world where the Colorado legislature has lifted the restriction on municipal rent regulation and municipalities have the freedom to decide whether rent regulation would be an efficacious local solution. It analyzes policy choices and legal hurdles for municipalities to consider when doing so.
Recommended Citation
Virginia Sargent,
Let Cities Decide: End Colorado's Prohibition On Rent Regulation,
92
U. Colo. L. Rev.
337
(2021).
Available at:
https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/lawreview/vol92/iss1/7