Aurora considers rental licensing program to tackle neighborhood blight
The Aurora City Council is considering a measure Monday night that could change how the city handles some problem landlords and rundown rental properties, following months of growing frustration over a broken code enforcement system.
The Aurora Rental Registration Resolution would direct the city manager to research and design a comprehensive rental registration and licensing program. Co-sponsored by Mayor Mike Coffman and Mayor Pro Tem Alison Coombs, the initiative aims to create a citywide inventory of rental units to track repeat code violations and force accountability from unresponsive property owners.
For Coffman, the issue is directly tied to the overall health of Aurora's neighborhoods. He told CBS Colorado that he frequently hears from residents frustrated by deteriorating properties, particularly single-family homes that seem to fly under the city's regulatory radar.
"Blight is a contagion, so when you have properties that look really bad, that are not maintained inside and out, that really affects the entire neighborhood," Coffman said. "It affects the entire community. We have no inspection program for single family rental homes, and that's a pretty large segment of the rental market."
The resolution would lay the groundwork for a system requiring landlords to provide contact information. Proponents argue this is a critical step in addressing chronic violators, especially those managed by people or entities that ignore standard city complaints.
"Requiring that folks say this is a rental property, and this is who you contact if there's a problem, is one of the outcomes that we're trying to pursue," Coombs said during a study session earlier this month.
However, the proposal faces opposition from some on the council who view the registry as a government overreach that could ultimately hurt the very renters it aims to protect. During the council's June study session, Councilmember Francoise Bergan criticized the potential registry, arguing, "This is taking away people's property rights."
Councilmember Stephanie Hancock shared similar concerns, warning that the administrative costs of running a citywide registry could trickle down to tenants, exacerbating the city's ongoing housing affordability crisis.
"We're shooting a fly with an elephant gun," Hancock said, adding, "This will, I believe, cause even more strain, and I think there's unintended consequences here."
If City Council passes the resolution Monday, it will not immediately implement a registry, create inspections, or alter the city code. Instead, it serves as a directive for city staff to launch community outreach, gather community feedback, and calculate the potential operational costs.
According to preliminary city documents, the feedback and research phase would take place throughout the summer and fall. Staff would then draft an official ordinance for a final council vote later this year, with the goal of officially launching the registry by January 2027.
