The Senate Housing & Land Use committee on Wednesday heard from dozens of people supporting a bill to provide tenants who lose their leases the right to a lawyer to help. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, would set up a system for tenants below 200% of the federal poverty line a right to an …
Bill to allow tenants to stop paying rent stuck in committee
A proposed bill that would allow tenants to stop paying rent when life- or safety-threatening issues had not been repaired failed to pass out of committee Tuesday. House Bill 37, sponsored by Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, D-Wilmington, drew praise from both sides of the aisle as well as from apartment associations and others who deal with renters for wanting to …
2022 Rewind: Affordable housing crisis affects middle class, too
This story was originally published in April 2022. Evidence continues to pile up that Delaware is struggling to provide affordable housing: Data released in April by Housing Alliance Delaware says the state faces a shortage of more than 18,000 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters. Also this April, Delaware State Housing Authority announced that eligible Delaware renters …
Tenant right to counsel bill defeated in committee
A bill to guarantee tenants the right to legal counsel in eviction proceedings failed in the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 101, which will not advance to the House floor, would have: Created a right to legal representation for renters facing eviction whose household income is lower than 200% of federal poverty guidelines; Placed coordination …
Delaware’s affordable housing crisis affects middle class, too
Getty Images Evidence continues to pile up that Delaware is struggling to provide affordable housing: Data released Thursday by Housing Alliance Delaware says the state faces a shortage of more than 18,000 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters. Also Thursday, Delaware State Housing Authority announced that eligible Delaware renters can now receive up to 18 months of …
Renter, landlord advocates disagree over solutions to eviction crisis
Lawmakers and advocates say a new Delaware Supreme Court rule that allows tenants to be represented by non-lawyer advocates in eviction proceedings will create parity with landlords and mitigate some of the most harmful effects of housing insecurity. Opponents, including the Delaware Apartment Association, the non-profit group that represents the interests of multi-family rental unit landlords, say efforts and money …
Bill that would create program to help renters avoid eviction passes Senate
A bill that would create a pre-eviction program for renters about to be kicked out passed the Senate Tuesday. Photo by George Becker/Pexels A bill that would create a new state program to help people on the edge of eviction stay in their homes or apartments is headed to the House after passing the Senate Tuesday. The bill would …