NEW EQUAL RIGHTS HOUSING ACT HELPS RENTERS

thrown out on the streets due to property
owners own blunders, mismanagement, and greed".

It is believed much of this legislation was pushed through so quickly
due to the mass evictions in California and Colorado this year.

Historically, landlords have had the upper hand by performing credit
and reference checks, but the same protection was not available to
tenants. Under the new guidelines, any property owner not licensed
and bonded will not be able to remove tenants from their properties
through the traditional methods of notices and evictions. This will
help tenants from being put out in the street with no alternatives.

Landlords will now be required to locate equivalent housing, both in
price and environment providing for a smooth transition for the
renter. If suitable housing cannot be located the landlord will have
the option of subsidizing the rent for a period of two years to
assist the tenant until affordable housing can be located. It is
expected these new laws will help stabilize the housing market by
controlling the rapid rental price increases seen in the last few
years of hyper-inflation.

AP/Distr
3442.655