When the U.S Supreme Court struck down the Center for Disease Control moratorium on evictions, some of the nation’s leading lawmakers and advocacy groups stoked fears that September would bring a record-breaking wave of evictions. Many people were led to believe that their communities’ low-income residents would be forcibly removed from their homes at abnormally high rates. Eviction data from September – both in Colorado and across the nation – demonstrates the exaggerated and misleading nature of these claims.

Eviction filings in Colorado remained at record lows through September, reaching only 66.3% of September 2019 levels. Since the Supreme Court’s Aug. 26 ruling, only 2,498 eviction actions were filed across the entire state, well below the pre-pandemic average for this period.

Eviction filings in cities across the country remain well below normal pre-pandemic levels. According to data collected by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, the number of eviction filings in major American metropolitan areas has either dropped or remained flat.

Evictions – regardless of their circumstances – do not benefit rental property owners. We all benefit from a stable housing market, and that market depends on rental housing providers and residents working together to work out payment issues, forge new agreements and keep people in their homes.

New eviction data demonstrates that the solutions rental housing providers instituted during the pandemic to support residents are working. These programs, like Colorado’s Rental Relief Fund, continue to operate, with money available to renters in need.

It is important that the government allow the rental property market to return to normal. The eviction moratorium delayed this return, and future restrictions on rental property owners and the rental housing market will only delay it further. Rent payment rates remain high and eviction rates remain low – this trend has remained steady throughout 2020 and 2021. The key to an affordable housing market is not more overbearing protectionist policies; it’s allowing rental housing providers and residents to work together in pursuit of stable and sustainable solutions.

The Colorado Apartment Association and its members supply critically needed affordable housing in Colorado’s booming housing market. Rental properties increase people’s quality of life by providing affordable, convenient and flexible housing options for all lifestyles. They also contribute to the growth of Denver’s economy by creating jobs, diversifying urban living options and housing our city’s flourishing young population. The environmental impact of multifamily housing is also notable, as multifamily properties promote responsible land use, protect open space and preserve public parks.

Our industry is vital to the fabric of life in metro Denver. Unnecessary scare tactics and fearmongering don’t benefit the public. As we all work to return to normal life, it’s important that we avoid spending time and energy on manufactured concerns, and instead focus on the data. Eviction numbers remain unprecedently low, and we are proud of the work our members have done to solve payment issues with their residents. Let’s continue to work together toward more thoughtful and efficient solutions, so we can obtain a stable and affordable Colorado housing market that all Coloradans deserve.

Destiny Bossert is the government affairs manager for the Colorado Apartment Association.