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Witnesses split over H 7 72: Legal aid warns tenant rights would erode while VSHA urges federal exemptions; landlords cite small‑owner risks
Summary
At a Feb. 5 Committee on General and Housing hearing, Jean Murray of Vermont Legal Aid warned H 7 72 would reduce tenant due process and worsen homelessness; VSHA’s Kathleen Burke recommended statutory exemptions and highlighted a rental‑arrears fund proposal; landlord witness Brian Armstrong urged preserving no‑cause nonrenewals and quicker eviction remedies to keep small owners in the market.
The House Committee on General and Housing heard lengthy testimony and questions on H 7 72, a bill that would change residential rental agreements, eviction timelines and create a rental payment credit and reporting program. Witnesses representing legal aid, the Vermont State Housing Authority and landlords presented sharply different views about whether the proposal strengthens tenant protections or creates conflicting obligations with federal housing rules.
"There's a housing crisis in Vermont. There's not enough housing," Jean Murray, senior housing attorney at Vermont Legal Aid, told the committee. Murray described a low vacancy rate (she cited roughly 2.5 percent) and presented eviction data gathered during pandemic‑era outreach: a large share of filings in her sample were for nonpayment (she cited about 72%) and a meaningful share were no‑cause terminations (about 22%).…
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