HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-11-24 Public Comment - H. Myers - Tenants right to counselFrom:Heather Myers
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Tenants right to counsel
Date:Monday, November 11, 2024 10:14:24 AM
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Dear Bozeman City Commissioners:
I am writing to urge you to adopt a right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction in
Bozeman.
As we all know, rent is increasingly high and housing is increasingly scarce in Bozeman. Many people are in precarious financial situations, with limited ability to cope with a financial
emergency. Landlords have a lot of power in this situation.
Eviction is very damaging to people's future abilities to rent and causes significant instability,leading to homelessness, job loss, and financial challenges.
In eviction cases, landlords have access to an attorney 79% of the time, while tenants are only
represented by a lawyer 7% of the time. This exacerbates an already unbalanced powerdynamic between landlords and tenants, where landlords can take advantage by evicting
people unfairly or by infringing on tenants' rights in other ways, such as arbitrarily threateningeviction, not fixing critical maintenance issues (or pressuring tenants not to report problems),
or unfairly retaining security deposits after tenants move out.
Tenants' right to counsel would level the playing field in court and help to balance powerbetween landlords and tenants. In places where this has been passed, eviction filings have
been reduced, people have been able to stay in their homes, and it has overall saved money forthe government.
I've been a renter in Bozeman since 2018, and although I have not personally faced eviction,
I've seen many people in my community deal with unfair situations with their landlords, and Iknow I would have little power in a dispute with a landlord too. This is a small step that our
community could take that would help create greater housing security for renters in Bozeman. Please pass tenants' right to counsel to protect tenants' rights.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Heather Myers