Travis Phillips
Colorado’s head elected leader held an emergency press conference late last week to make an important announcement regarding short term rental properties in the state.
As a part of his new affordable housing reform initiative, the governor has decided to pass an executive order to permanently ban all types of short term rentals across the state.
Moreover, there will be no exceptions permitted.
The Governor’s office issued a press release explaining that short term rental properties often hurt affordable housing measures. To make it more affordable to live in the state, the governor said that all residential properties should be only for the people who work in Colorado and provide much needed services.
The ban is effective starting April 1, 2023 and his new law imposes criminal penalties on people using their properties for any type of short term rental. Those who try to continue to let people rent their basements, rooms or houses could face a $10,000 fine and up to a year in state prison under the new executive order.
The governor said that the decision was a tough one to make, but he got sick and tired of everyone in small mountain communities arguing back and forth over the issue. “Since nobody in smaller towns across the state can agree on this topic, I decided that the state needed to step in,” Colorado Governor Jarett Poliks said. “The articles in TMC were driving me nuts. Almost felt like they were trying to start a STR reality TV series.” On a more serious note, Poliks stated, “Short term rentals are becoming a detriment to society in communities all across Colorado. The few houses we have need to be saved for people who actually live in the community and not out of town investors.”
The governor told a reporter from TMC during the conference that he could care less about people losing their investments and that they could always sell their homes to a teacher, firefighter, or police officer in the community. He said that his affordable housing initiative will work better if there are no residential housing being rented for STRs in the state.
Woodland Park Mayor Hillary LaBatte, though, posted on social media that she is furious about the governor’s recent decision. “This is a huge governmental overstep and the governor should be absolutely ashamed of himself,” the mayor said. “It seems like he has no idea what this stupid decision will do to people’s property rights. I believe that property owners should be able to do anything with their properties whether it is having a speakeasy, a giant watchtower, or an unfenced pond full of piranhas. I don’t care! It is not the government’s job to intervene!”
However, local resident Jonny Denland told TMC that he couldn’t be happier with the governor’s decision. “It’s about time at least one politician pulled their heads out of their behinds and did something about this,” Denland said. “I can’t stand short term rentals; they make me sick to my stomach. At least now our beloved community will no longer be ruined by them and the deadbeat, transients they bring into our lovely city.”
The governor said that tourists will still be allowed in the state, but they will have to stay in licensed hotels that can only be located in commercially zoned properties. “These mini-hotels need to be held to the same building codes and guidelines as our licensed hotels do before somebody dies or a whole neighborhood burns down,” Poliks said.
Happy April Fools Day!
