Boulder Leader

City and County of Broomfield issued the following announcement on Aug. 12.

The Broomfield City Council passed an emergency ordinance temporarily prohibiting fees or penalties for late payment of rent for COVID-19 impacted tenants until November 1, 2020, or when the Governor rescinds the declaration of a disaster emergency related to COVID-19 in the state of Colorado, whichever occurs first.

“While we know many landlords are stepping up to partner with their tenants in these tough times, I’m proud of our local leaders for taking this swift action to provide relief to our residents,” said Mayor Pat Quinn.  

City Councilmember Sharon Tessier said, “Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this possible. Broomfield is making history and I am so grateful to be a part of this incredible community who continues to show up in uncertain times. A true sign of a community is how we respond to crises. This is not an eviction issue,  this is a ‘how Broomfield responds to evictions’ issue.”

Councilmember Elizabeth Law-Evans said, “I’m a landlord, my father has been a landlord since the late 1950s, and my grandmother was a landlady before that. I truly believe, with the guardrails in place and on a temporary basis, this the right thing to do for each other as a community and as neighbors facing these incredibly challenging times.”

While the temporary ordinance is in place, if a tenant provides evidence of adverse financial or health-related hardship because of the COVID-19 emergency, it will be unlawful for any landlord or property management entity to assess a monetary sum, fee or any other penalty against a tenant or mobile home owner as a result of failure to timely pay any portion of rent. Any fee or penalty assessed on or after the ordinance ends will apply only to rent due on or after that date. Evidence of hardship could include a lay off notice, a letter or other statement from the tenant’s employer attesting that the tenant’s employment and associated compensation has been suspended, reduced, or terminated as a result of the COVID-19 emergency; documentation of the tenant’s receipt of unemployment benefits; or documentation showing that the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household who contributes to the monthly rent payment has been diagnosed with, or has been hospitalized or received medical care for, COVID-19; or other evidence of financial or health-related hardship related to the COVID-19 emergency.

As a direct result of COVID-19, Broomfield’s unemployment claims have increased by approximately 400%. There were 744 claims between March 1, 2019, through July 30, 2019, compared to 3,794 during the same timeframe in 2020.  There are currently over 4,000 Broomfield Unemployment Insurance claimants registered with the Broomfield Workforce Center and applications for benefit programs are up in Colorado Works (TANF) by 46%, Food Assistance by 27%, and Medicaid by 12.5%.

Additionally, between April 1, 2020, and June 16, 2020, Broomfield’s Bridge the Gap program distributed over $103,800 to assist 71 Broomfield households, including 110 adults and 81 children with housing payment assistance. These numbers are in addition to the traditional Self-Sufficiency Rental/Mortgage Assistance (SSRMA) program administered by the Health and Human Services Department, and other housing assistance programs administered by our local non-profit agencies.

Original source can be found here.