Committee approves bill to ensure landlords accept multiple payment methods; clarifies contract protections

Representative Mary Caffero presented House Bill 810, which would expand the statutory list of acceptable rent payment types so tenants have options beyond online-only portals. “What it does is it says that landlords must accept from tenants different forms of payment,” Caffero said, citing debit/credit, check, cash and electronic payments as examples.

Proponents described cases where landlords or out‑of‑state property managers moved to online‑only payment platforms (for example, AppFolio), leaving some tenants—particularly elderly residents without internet access—without convenient payment options or forced to pay additional fees to remit paper payments. A proponent urged the committee to make the bill effective upon passage so protections apply immediately.

Committee members questioned whether the bill mandates acceptance of certain formats (for example, whether landlords would be required to accept cryptocurrency). Staff and the sponsor pointed to existing statutory definitions (30‑18‑102) that define “electronic” records and clarified the bill does not intend to require landlords to accept unauthorized payment types; contract law and lease terms remain important for setting acceptable payment instruments (for example, a landlord may require certified checks when appropriate to guard against bounced checks).

The committee approved a conceptual amendment to make the bill effective upon passage and then concurred on HB810 as amended. The bill will be carried to the floor for further consideration.