By james art 
Legislation, growth and municipalities
How Statehouse affects cities and growth
A new bill with the support of the main groups of landlords can regulate the fees for applying for rent in Idaho.
On Wednesday, Senator Ali Rabe, D-Boise, received the green light to print a bill to create a set of rules aimed at preventing landlords from transferring fees for renting and collecting revenue to units not available. This bill does not limit how many landlords can charge for application fees, but requires only two applications to be processed at one time and requires the units to be available within the next 60 days.
Landlords can only charge a fee if they conduct a candidate’s history or criminal history and will have to disclose specific criteria of potential applications, for example, if they do not allow pets or require a particular credit rating to accept a tenant.
This bill comes after debate on the rental fees and how they should be regulated in the Aydaho State Capitol in 2021, 2022 and 2024 after the fees for applying for Boise, restricting the fees for application to $ 30. Bill from respectively. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow last year cleared both chambers that blocked the Boise rental protection, prevented landlords from discriminating down tenants with Vouchers from Section 8, as well as blocked cities from regulating fines, fees and deposits.
Rabe said this bill would prevent landlords from charging high fees from earning a large number of candidates.
“We will see that the actual costs that tenants are costs are the actual costs that the landlord is experiencing, but this is not something beyond. This is a problem across the country, “she said. “Many states are considering this, including Florida, and 27 states have limited rent fees in many different ways. This is a common way that governments intervene to make sure consumers are protected in a competitive home market. ”
Rabe said the bill has won the support of several groups of landlords, including the Aidaho Apartment Association, which has previously opposed the Boise application fee cap for $ 30.
An Email Campaign by an “one individual” asks the senators to kill Bill
After the hearing began, the chairman of the Committee on Judicial and the Rules of the Senate Todd Lake, R-NAMPa, noted that several residents had sent an email to the commission members asking for a Rabe bill they did not even receive a hearing because of their opposition.
He said this was unusual because the legislation was not yet printed and said that although he could not guarantee that he would vote for it, he wanted to be heard so that there could be an open discussion. Senator Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg and Senator Brandon Shippi, R-NEW Plymouth, were confronted with agreeing.
“Rabe was chosen by her voters and I believe that each of our voters deserves to be heard their voice,” Shippi said. “To be printed a bill is really important to discuss and hear the voice of all our voters. This does not mean that I will support the legislation, but will support it. ”
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Rabe said she had not heard the opposition of the legislation until the day of hearing and feedback came from a “smaller group that is not directly in this industry”, sent as an email expressing opposition. She said the emails were “driven by an individual” whom she did not name.
“I was committed to some of the people who sent the emails this morning and they did not read the legislation,” she said.
Senator Dan Forman, R-Moscow, was the only member of the committee to vote against his performance, citing the emails he received.
“I totally understand your intention to do so,” he said. “You are trying to help people, but I was bombed by emails from my voters. It also surprised me because it was (the design of legislation), but they were very clear and consistent in their message and see several elements of this (a draft legislation) as an exceeding the government. ”