Renters bill of rights goes to Assembly floor

Thursday, April 8, 1999 | 10:25 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A watered-down bill of rights that provides some added minor protection for tenants unanimously cleared the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee Wednesday.

"This is only one-thirty-second of what I wanted," said Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, the sponsor of Assembly Bill 397. "But this is better than nothing."

Landlords and representatives of tenants faced off at a fiery hearing in March before the committee. Since then, Jon Sasser of Nevada Legal Services in Reno, representing tenants, has been meeting with Pat Coward, Dave Howard and others representing the landlords to work out a compromise on the bill that goes to the floor of the Assembly.

The bill, as it now stands, allows tenants to withhold rent if the landlord is not providing basic services such as water, electricity and gas. No late fee could be imposed on the renter. But tenants must be current in their rent at the time.

The legislation also prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants who have complained about discrimination under the federal Fair Housing Act.

Taken out of the bill was a section that would have required the landlord to show "good cause" for evicting a tenant. Also eliminated was a section that would have required the landlord to return deposits for cleaning and security after the tenant had lived in the unit for a year. A requirement that individual water meters be installed in new apartments was also struck.