BOISE, Idaho — Starting in January, Boise renters will have three more protections against unjust landlords.
Boise City Councilmembers passed a new ordinance on Aug. 15. Landlords will no longer be able to retaliate against renters if they need something fixed.
"If you make a repair request and you landlord says, 'you know what, here's your three-day notice, you go to get out," housing adviser Nicki Hellenkamp said. "Then, that's something that wouldn't be allowed under the law."
Landlords will also be required to give security deposits back if they are tearing down the building. Additionally, they must also give renters a city document outlining their rights and responsibilities.
Hellenkamp said a lot of other cities around the country have a similar document, and Boise is currently working on theirs.
"What [advocacy groups] said was that particularly new tenants, maybe young people who are renting for the first time or people who are new to the country or to the state may not be aware of what their rights and responsibilities are under the law," she said.
Ali Rabe, Jesse Tree executive director, supports the ordinance. The nonprofit, which helps people facing evictions, was part of the city's process in creating the new protections.
"These are small, reasonable, practical steps that we can take to protect tenants," she said.
As of now, Idaho does not have many state protections for renters. Lawmakers previously passed a rental application fee cap.
Rabe is also a state legislator and said lawmakers may look into increasing the number of days landlords need to notify renters about any rent increases greater than 10%.
"I do think there'll be some more options there," she said. "I've already talked to some landlords and legislators around some ideas."
Because of the limited options on the state level, Hellenkamp said the city needed to step in. The lack of affordable housing only exacerbated the problem.
"There are things that we can do to make it more possible for Boiseans to stay in their homes and to access affordable housing when they have the means to do so," she said.
Local landlord Joey Schueler called the ordinances "fair" and "reasonable." He said when landlords treat their tenants well, tenants treat their landlords well in return.
He said the city came up with a good compromise between the two parties.
"I think it's a good thing that we have this discussion and arrive at a good ground where it protects tenants and the landlords so that it's best-case scenario for the community," Schueler said.
Councilmembers also considered a fourth protection, which was sent back for further review. Hellenkamp said the protection would prohibit landlords from discriminating against the "source of income. "
That includes Section 8 vouchers and child support. She said councilmembers will likely vote on the protection this fall.
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