Uplifting News Out Of Helena For Montana Renters

Renters in Montana Could Finally Catch a Break

As I'm sure most of you are aware, the Montana Legislature meets biennially on odd-numbered years.

The current session, which ends on May 5th this year, has just sent a bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte to sign that should make renters in Montana happy.

Montana Lawmakers Show Rare Bipartisan Support for Renters

Rep. Kelly Kortum, D-Bozeman, who is responsible for this bill, just had it passed in the legislature with bipartisan support.

House Bill 311 passed the House with a vote of 63-31 and then passed in the Senate with a vote of 32-14, showing more bipartisan support.

Should Gov. Greg Gianforte choose to sign this bill, renters will rejoice, so what does House Bill 311 specifically do?

HB 311 Aims to Stop Costly Rental Application Fees

This isn't the first time a bill like HB 311 has been proposed. According to Montana Right Now, Kortum brought a similar bill before the 2023 session but found little to no support.

The main point of HB 311 is that it "would require property managers to refund application fees to prospective renters who are not selected for an apartment or home."

Kortum was quoted as saying, "When folks apply to an apartment, a certain apartment might get 20 applications. The second person might get the apartment, but 18 application fees might go into the pocket of the property manager."

Rep. Julie Darling, R-Helena, was also quoted as saying, “Last spring, I found myself in this position. I spent nearly $1,000 in six weeks applying for rentals here in Helena. I don’t have an extra thousand dollars — and I have a really good job — I don’t know how somebody else making minimum wage does this.”

I'm happy to see that bipartisanship is still possible here in Montana and that we're still looking out for the Average Joes here under the Big Sky.