By Erica Sanchez

It is no secret families across Colorado are struggling to pay rent. While anti-growth policies have continued to drive up the costs of all housing across the state, our elected leaders have desperately tried to pursue new policies to keep people in their homes. This noble effort, however, has only had the unintended consequences of setting up renters to fail.

In 2023, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 23-184 with the goal of expanding housing access by reducing income screening requirements. What this law resulted in is low-income and middle-class families falling into debt and facing eviction because it tells them they can afford something they can’t.

For more than two decades, I’ve worked in multifamily housing, writing policies, overseeing operations and advocating at the state and federal levels. I’ve seen the profound effect of legislation, both positive and unintended.

SB 23-184 had every intention of ensuring Colorado is a place anyone can call home. It lowered the standard income qualification from three times to two times the monthly rent of a unit. Though on paper this allowed more renters to qualify for housing, it set them up to fail by guaranteeing them a lease they could not afford.

Housing experts recommend no more than 30% of a household’s income be spent on rent. Under the new requirement, renters qualify for units with monthly rents that cost up to 50% of their income. This leaves very little money for food, childcare, transportation, everyday expenses and even emergencies.

For an apartment with a rent of $1,800 per month, a renter would have needed an annual household income of $64,800 before SB 23-184 to qualify and would have around $3,600 left each month for other expenses. Today, a renter only needs a household income of $43,200 to qualify for a unit that would leave them with just $1,800 each month for other expenses.

The legislature has created a guarantee for renters that leaves them and their housing providers holding the check. This has real consequences for Coloradan families who were told they qualified for rent, only to face falling behind and risking eviction for something out of their control.

For more than two decades, I’ve worked in multifamily housing, writing policies, overseeing operations, and advocating at the state and federal levels. I’ve witnessed the profound effect of legislation, both positive and unintended. Though many laws have unforeseen outcomes, SB 23-184 has created an urgent demand for attention as it tries to put out a fire with gasoline.

In 2023 — the year the bill went into effect — we had a 15-year record high in eviction filings in Denver. In 2024, an all-time record 15,960 renters in Denver faced an eviction filing and in 2025 we’ve already seen more than 9,000 filings.

This rise isn’t due to a lack of compassion from the housing industry or even from policymakers. This harsh reality is the unintended consequences of well-intentioned legislation based on assumptions.

Though this may seem disastrous, we still have a chance to correct our current path and come up with a real solution. Policymakers have a chance, and an obligation, to develop legislation that will start to chip away at the problems this law has created. By re-aligning rent-to-income standards with industry recommendations, we’ll be able to ensure when a family moves into a rental unit, they are able to stay there.

As someone who entered this industry as a young mother with little to her name, I know how life-changing stable housing can be. This career gave me a path forward and I’m committed to helping others find theirs. SB 23-184 had good intentions. But it is not enough to open the door. We must ensure people can afford to stay once they’re inside. Let’s recalibrate before more families lose not just their homes, but their hope.

Erica Sanchez serves as the owner director and public relations chair for the Colorado Apartment Association and Apartment Association of Metro Denver.