An act relating to approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Burlington

Landlord termination notice provisions were rewritten: the old text mandated specific notice periods (90 days for tenancies under 2 years, 120 days for 2+ years) limited to situations with no written rental agreement. The new text broadly authorizes the City to adopt ordinances setting notice requirements for contents and timing of termination notices for all residential tenancies, with optional special requirements for vulnerable populations (older Vermonters, individuals with disabilities, low-income tenants).

The specific rent increase notice provision was removed. The old version authorized the City to prohibit rent increases or lease term changes without at least 90 days' advance written notice, with timing and contents set by ordinance.

The tenant-to-landlord notice requirement was simplified. The old version required tenants to give actual notice at least two rental periods before the termination date. The new version simply authorizes the City to require tenants to provide landlords notice prior to termination, without specifying a fixed period.

The effective date section (Sec. 3: 'This act shall take effect on passage') was removed from the unofficial version.

The election area boundary modification authority language was changed. The old version specified changes must provide 'an equal division of population among them in accordance with data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau' and could not be made more frequently than once in five years. The new version appears to remove or modify these constraints (diff truncated).

Section 48(64)(A) was rewritten: the House version required specific notice periods (90 days for tenancies under two years, 120 days for two years or more) and applied only where there was no written rental agreement. The enacted version removes those fixed day-counts and the no-written-agreement limitation, instead authorizing the City Council to adopt ordinances setting notice requirements for contents and timing, with explicit authority to include special notice requirements for vulnerable populations (older Vermonters, individuals with disabilities, low-income tenants).

Section 48(64)(B) was rewritten: the House version required tenants to give landlords at least two rental periods of actual notice. The enacted version removes that specific requirement and instead authorizes the City Council to adopt ordinances requiring tenants to provide landlords notice prior to termination, including requirements for contents and timing.

Section 48(65) was rewritten: the House version mandated a fixed 90-day advance written notice before rent increases or lease term changes. The enacted version removes the specific 90-day requirement and instead authorizes the City Council to establish the timing, contents, and manner of advance written notice by ordinance, with added authority for special notice requirements for vulnerable populations.

The election area redistricting provision was changed: the House version limited boundary changes to no more than once every five years. The enacted version removes that fixed frequency cap and instead allows changes following the decennial census or whenever necessary to correct an unconstitutional division of population among City districts or wards.

The bill number was changed from H.508 (2025) to No. M-8 (2026), and a governor signature date of April 27, 2026 was added, reflecting the transition from House passage to final enactment.

Section 48 enumerated powers (64)(A) were removed, which would have authorized the City Council to require landlords to give 90 days written notice before a no-cause eviction for tenancies under two years and 120 days for tenancies of two years or more, with special provisions for vulnerable populations including older Vermonters, individuals with disabilities, and low-income tenants.

Section 48 enumerated powers (64)(B) were removed, which would have authorized the City Council to require residential tenants to give actual notice to landlords at least two rental periods before a termination date.

Section 48 enumerated powers (65) were removed, which would have authorized the City Council to prohibit rent increases or lease term changes without at least 90 days advance written notice, with special provisions for vulnerable populations.

The legislative session year changed from 2025 to 2026, indicating the bill carried over into a new session before passing the House.

New subsection (64)(A) to Section 48 of the Burlington charter authorizes the City Council to prohibit no-cause lease terminations without written notice of at least 90 days for tenancies under two years and 120 days for tenancies of two years or more, and to set requirements for notice contents and timing including special provisions for vulnerable populations such as older Vermonters, people with disabilities, and low-income tenants.

New subsection (64)(B) authorizes the City Council to require residential tenants to give landlords actual notice at least two rental periods before the termination date when a tenant wishes to end a tenancy.

New subsection (65) authorizes the City Council to prohibit rent increases or other changes in lease terms without advance written notice of at least 90 days, with timing, contents, and manner established by ordinance, including special notice requirements for vulnerable populations.

The year designation was corrected from 2026 to 2025, the page count changed from 11 to 23 pages, and the official version includes standard legislative header information (sponsor, committee referral, subject line, and statement of purpose) that was absent from the unofficial version.