Aurora recruits volunteers for rental task force as advocates push for stronger tenant protections

The City of Aurora is looking for volunteers to join a new rental registration task force that will guide city leaders as they build a registration and licensing program.

The move comes as community advocates continue to hear from renters about troubling conditions from pests, to mold, to buildings falling into disrepair. One resident said they had a gas leak that wasn't fixed for three months.

Nate Kassa, a community organizer with the East Colfax Community Collective, hears these stories often.

"Especially in Northwest Aurora, we are seeing that landlords, especially corporate landlords, are not willing to put into the investment to, you know, keep the housing up to par, and they're not following the law," Kassa said.

For years, the Aurora nonprofit has helped renters with their rights most notably when the city condemned multiple buildings owned by CBZ Management, a situation that made national headlines after documented gang activity and code violations at many of those buildings.

"And it wasn't just CBZ that was the case [bad property managers] are up and down the streets of this neighborhood," Kassa said.

The city hopes the task force will help officials respond to problems more quickly.

"[That way] we can get on top of violations quicker, get things, you know, corrected faster, so it's a safer housing market for our community members," said Joshua King, City of Aurora Manager of Neighborhood Support.

The city is accepting applications for the task force until the end of the month.

"We're hoping anybody and everybody applies so we can get a good, fair, broad view of of what Aurora represents, so we can develop this ordinance," said King.

The task force consists of 13 members representing a diverse group with different perspectives, including neighborhood representatives, property owners, nonprofit housing advocates, and legal aid representatives.

It's an ordinance advocates like Kassa hope to weigh in on.

"I think the city should really consider how do we pass a policy that doesn't leave us in a place where we just have to go and amend it every year or in one year or in two years," Kassa said.

The goal, advocates say, is to ensure Aurorans can enjoy the place they call home.