BOISE, Idaho — The employees at Treasure Valley rental assistance nonprofit Jesse Tree are far from focused on the fruits of labor when the following months bring a tough shell to crack - a new fiscal year with new state laws.
"I was following it pretty closely," Housing Navigator Tony Torres said. "I was very disappointed."
Governor Brad Little (R-Idaho) signed House Bill 545 (H545) last Friday. The new law prohibits city and county governments from regulating rent, application fees, and deposits. The City of Boise currently caps rental application fees at $30; moreover, the city prohibits discrimination based on income.
"That's gone now," Torres said. "Once it goes into effect, landlords can charge whatever they want for an application fee. They can charge $50. They can charge $80. They can charge $200."
Gov. Little acknowledged the need for solutions amid a growing state population and the accompanying housing crisis in a transmittal letter; however, it wasn't enough for the highest power in the state to veto the bill.
"We must have laws in place that protect property owners from local laws and ordinances that limit their ability to manage their property and determine their tenants. That said, I am also a strong believer in local control, where the locally elected leaders are best situated to develop solutions that fit their communities and neighborhoods," Gov. Little wrote. "I urge the Legislature to work with local leaders to ensure our state laws provide pathways to solving local housing issues."
The seemingly contradictory statements, leading to a signed law, were tough for Torres to put into words. He doubled down on the aforementioned emotion- disappointed. Jesse Tree received 3,572 emergency rental assistance applications in 2023. They could assist roughly a quarter of them.
"I don't think these ordinances prevented private property owners from deciding what they wanted to do with their property. All it did was set guide guidelines," Torres said. "We have to start thinking more broadly about this issue and how we can make sure that we don't see that increase in homelessness."
H545 goes into effect at the start of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2024.
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