[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6336941,"mediaKeyId","2277549-36944fc133e13e13e793c6e88654b76e","parentId",2277549,"title","St. Johnsbury landlord urges faster evictions, warns current nonpayment process deters small landlords","audioSeconds",555,"startMs",3013000,"endMs",3568000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2277549-36944fc133e13e13e793c6e88654b76e&start=3013&end=3568","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2277549-36944fc133e13e13e793c6e88654b76e/thumbnail_3013000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6336941/Vermont/St-Johnsbury-landlord-urges-faster-evictions-warns-current-nonpayment-process-deters-small-landlords","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6336941-878f41609929fc0b03c7f7858834702a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770653611&Signature=b~DkSSpE06gBXWYE~6Z9uqUXYp5irOXHAHOKTIy~0TRtYrI-ah-E3IQwcX5r9ODkLRtBTbwTIyd2FqCanr2YOrqtNQn2JSGeTQRlCF5nJ0sGQr0d~fn0bHE~yad6dyx-5G6PN8w3zfBE2cxoCpjA5H6jfubJ5lBX8anyODH~ZjfU01U4NGTIajrP2tx7RjFQbJ61x22f62DfSU-bJqJXG5GFB55kFRr7XAkQrct2m~TUUTM-iF-WxNMWcqWa2N7CHqZ3YUZaajkKIIvBKVNRAoMAMBjStn4h6v-f9h9jMEDFKydnOKZxQ2m1-hLzUqPwzQVbuYrZGKmS5HJ04eDIgA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-12T15:02:37Z","article","Steve Dolgin, a landlord from St. Johnsbury with roughly 40 apartments across 11 buildings, told the House Committee on General & Housing on Feb. 12 that Vermont's nonpayment eviction process takes too long and deters private investment in housing.

\"We must drastically shorten the time it takes to evict the nonpaying tenants from our apartments,\" Dolgin said, describing a sequence of notice and court steps that, in his experience, can stretch to seven months or more from the initial notice to physical eviction. He described the typical progression: a notice to quit (minimum 14 days under state law, 30 days in some federally covered buildings under the CARES Act), filing in court, a first hearing often focused on a motion to pay rent into court, a subsequent merits hearing, then a writ of possession and scheduling with the sheriff for a physical eviction. He estimated the total—filing, hearings, writ and sheriff—could add up to \"7 months or more.\" He said sheriff availability is not generally the limiting factor but the intermediate procedural steps are, and that repairs and unpaid costs can leave landlords financially exposed during that period.

Dolgin described material and financial consequences landlords face: legal fees (he cited attorney, court and sheriff costs \"$2,000 and up\"), months of lost rent, utility and maintenance expenses while units are vacant or repaired, and repair bills he said often run from $5,000 to $10,000 per severely damaged unit. He also said damage and abandonment create safety and habitability problems for remaining tenants and impose cleanup and repair costs on owners.

Dolgin urged the committee to look at states with shorter procedures—he cited Louisiana as an example with a faster nonpayment timeline—and to consider legislation this session to shorten timelines. He said shortening the process would reduce landlords' losses and encourage private investors to rehabilitate blighted properties and to add rental units. He also defended the availability of no-cause evictions as a necessary tool for landlords to address problematic tenancy situations during a lease term when criminal prosecution or witness testimony is unlikely.

Committee members asked for clarifications on frequency and outcomes. Dolgin estimated that among cases that reach a final court eviction process, roughly one-third proceed to a physical sheriff-enforced eviction; he said the more serious damage and abandonment cases tend to be shorter-term tenants (under a year) rather than long-term residents. He acknowledged many landlords try to work with tenants experiencing temporary hardship and said those situations differ from the \"dark side\" of repeated nonpayment and intentional damage that he described.

Dolgin also raised concerns about renovation costs charged by some nonprofit developers and said overspending on per-unit rehabilitation reduces available funds for broader housing production, a point he asked the committee to examine separately.

Why it matters: testimony highlighted financial and operational burdens landlords say they face under current eviction timelines and argued that faster, clearer processes could encourage private investment in rental housing. Committee members asked for data on the number and outcomes of eviction cases statewide and noted differing policy trade-offs between tenant protections and incentives for private rental supply.

No formal action was taken at the hearing; committee members indicated they would continue to gather evidence and witness testimony as they develop a committee bill.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House General - 2025-02-12 - 10AM","oneSentenceSummary","A longtime landlord testified the state's nonpayment eviction process can take seven months or more, imposes heavy costs and damages incentives for small landlords to remain in the rental market; he urged the committee to shorten timelines and preserve no-cause eviction as a tool.","taxTitle","General & Housing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",30954,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6336945,"House committee reviews bill to create statewide Housing Board of Appeals",2605,128000,2733000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2277549-36944fc133e13e13e793c6e88654b76e&start=128&end=2733","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2277549-36944fc133e13e13e793c6e88654b76e/thumbnail_128000.jpg","/articles/6336945/Vermont/House-committee-reviews-bill-to-create-statewide-Housing-Board-of-Appeals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6336945-5d1141ef10b9b7fc31002bb01921c82a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770653611&Signature=kSACd1ZyEdxVffb7IAU1o~vsU19BKUcOKi0z2sKk~5kESjePz3kIGHTuTHnHUfL-56bxIMkYCxK9rDeaFT5e6tbTlg9VrN1UT7qAJ3Dz0AQa0LpAoBEaQBUqD-~CcbNlpGgLItQB-evxK4JXx8NhO5KkCSzVTg9SdF-j~NBs0G6FwP~yLB70EHE~XMHE9hE8cWuIJs836~5NsgEHTlOHZ5tpP74GdvuJ6iCFWRMrCXgJ4ex~ZWTEru8O7R6BmcVWew3hjVV3-rr7j6OmJ6BMy0kfoTTqyHMzgnRFnK~gRbE20q8IHzXomgn1UehNC6chEKe56kb6TUDEsOCoq82vHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Legislative counsel Elle Jankowski told the House Committee on General & Housing on Feb. 12 that H.42 would create a new, independent Housing Board of Appeals to hear municipal zoning appeals for housing projects.

The bill would establish a three-member, full-time board appointed by the Vermont Supreme Court, require at least one attorney and one professional engineer or land surveyor among members, and give the board authority to hear appeals of municipal zoning decisions, subdivisions, variances and other municipal permits and fees applicable to housing. Jankowski said the bill is modeled on New Hampshire law but would require edits to conform to Vermont practice: \"If anything, there were some typos in last year's that I fixed, but I don't think I made any perfect substantive changes... This is actually modeled almost identically from the New Hampshire statute.\"

Committee members pressed Jankowski on key scope and procedural matters. She said the board would cover zoning decisions for towns that have municipal zoning—roughly \"slightly more than half\" of Vermont towns, a figure she estimated in the 110–130 range—so H.42 would not apply in towns lacking municipal zoning or where there are no formal on-the-record hearings. \"So this is zoning decisions only,\" Jankowski said, adding that building permits and design review could be encompassed depending on how a town structures its permitting process.

The bill would make the Housing Board the required initial forum for covered housing appeals, with parties deemed to have waived the right to bring the same appeal in Superior Court if they file with the board. The board's decision could be appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court. Jankowski outlined procedural timelines in the draft: an appeal would be filed within 30 days of a municipal final decision, the municipal panel would have 30 days to provide a certified record, the board would give 20 days' notice of a hearing and hold a hearing within 90 days of filing, and issue a written decision within 60 days after the hearing. Jankowski summarized the practical result: \"So that's 6 months... And then it goes to the Supreme Court 30 days, 7 months.\"

Committee members raised several implementation questions. They asked how the bill would affect towns that do not keep certified on-the-record records of municipal hearings; Jankowski said most Vermont towns do not produce certified records and that the bill could require towns to produce more formal records for appeals. Members also questioned the standard of review under the bill. The draft combines elements of on-the-record review and the ability to take witness testimony; Jankowski described the result as potentially ambiguous and said the standard of review language would need work to conform to Vermont practice: \"There is language that needs to be changed to conform to Vermont.\" She said the provision in the draft that the board may reverse or modify a decision \"except for errors of law or if the board is persuaded by the balance of probabilities\" aligns with a reasonableness/abuse-of-discretion approach rather than a de novo standard.

Jankowski described administrative and budgetary consequences: three full-time board members paid at the salary of a superior court judge (she cited roughly $168,000 per judge) plus at least one staff attorney and clerical support, office space and recording capacity. Her rough estimate for staff and member salaries and initial operations was in the $600,000–$700,000 range and she recommended more detail be developed in the appropriation language and appointment procedures if the committee advances the bill. The draft also directs the Supreme Court to appoint board members by July 1, 2026—an appointment mechanism committee members noted the Court does not currently follow for similar boards and which would require developing a procedure.

Why it matters: supporters have argued a specialized board could standardize and speed housing appeals; committee members responding to Jankowski's briefing flagged significant open technical questions about which appeals would be covered, how records would be produced, whether the new board would receive de novo or on-the-record review, how quickly cases could be decided in practice and how much the board would cost to stand up.

Committee members asked staff to coordinate with the Land Use Review Board's ongoing study of appeals and to return more precise information about how many Vermont towns maintain municipal zoning and formal records. Jankowski recommended further drafting to adapt New Hampshire language to Vermont statutory practice and to clarify timelines and standards of review.

The committee did not take a vote on H.42 during this hearing.","Legislative counsel walked the House Committee on General & Housing through H.42, a bill to create a three-member Housing Board of Appeals to hear municipal zoning appeals on housing projects; committee members raised questions about jurisdiction, standard of review, required records and cost.","actionData","errors"]

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St. Johnsbury landlord urges faster evictions, warns current nonpayment process deters small landlords

House committee reviews bill to create statewide Housing Board of Appeals