Navigating the legal landscape that oversees Colorado’s real estate world can feel like an uphill battle, especially when more laws arise or others change each year. Our legislators routinely visit the subject of housing and rentals during each session, proposing, passing, and denying bills that directly affect rental property owners across the state of Colorado. Our goal is to keep you informed on what’s transpired in the real estate world. However, we’re not attorneys and are not providing legal advice regarding the information below. Please be sure to seek legal counsel for any questions or concerns regarding these or any laws. So without further ado, here are a few laws landlords need to know in Colorado.
Colorado Real Estate Laws Landlords Need to Know
CARES Act
The Colorado Supreme Court recently chose to extend parts of the CARES Act that came into effect during the Covid-19 Pandemic. At this time, if your rental property has a federally-backed mortgage (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc.) or if your residents receive government assistance to pay their rent, then you are required to submit a 30-day notice for unpaid rent instead of the usual 10-day demand. This law is currently in effect. It applies state-wide and has no foreseeable expiration date. Contact your lender to see if your rental property has a federally backed mortgage. You can also check Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s loan look-ups to see if yours is serviced through either provider.
HB23-1099 Portable Screening Report for Residential Leases
HB23-1099 requires landlords to accept a prospective tenant’s previously generated credit report during the application process as opposed to requiring to pull their own. The report must be created by an agency and generated within the last 30 days. It must also provide certain information regarding the prospective tenant. If the tenant provides their own report and it meets the above criteria, landlords may not charge that tenant an application fee.
HB23-1120 Eviction Protections for Residential Tenants
HB23-1120 requires landlords and residents to participate in mandatory mediation prior to proceeding with an eviction if the resident receives cash assistance including supplemental security income, federal social security disability insurance, or cash assistance through the Colorado Works program. If the resident does not disclose or declines to disclose this information, then mediation is not required.
HB 1090 – Protections Against Deceptive Pricing Practices
HB25-1090 prohibits deceptive pricing practices and applies to landlords, restaurants, and other businesses. It requires the full total price to be shown, including fees and service charges, in advertisements, leases, real estate settlement services, menus, and other contexts. This change went into effect January 1st, 2026.
HB 1249 – Tenant Security Deposit Protections
HB25-1249 added additional measures and changes to how tenant security deposits are processed. It allows tenants to request a walk-through with the landlord prior to moving out of the property. Landlords can now only without funds for carpet or paint damage if the damage is irreparable, and changed general house and carpet cleaning needed in between tenants as normal wear and tear. This means that landlords cannot charge tenants for standard house cleaning or carpet cleaning unless the condition is considered irreparably damaged. HB25-1249 also updated the useful life expectancy of carpets from 7 years to 10 years and added further definitions to normal wear and tear vs damage. This law took effect January 1st, 2026
HB25-1168 – Housing Protections for Victim-Survivors
HB25-1168 went into effect August 6th, 2025 and strengthens housing protections for tenants who are victims or survivors of domestic abuse, domestic violence, unlawful sexual behavior, or stalking. The bill expands who qualifies for legal protections, allows survivors to verify their status through several forms of documentation (including a police report, emergency protection order, a letter from a qualified third party, or a self-attestation letter), and provides safeguards against eviction by requiring landlords to offer repayment plans when rent issues are related to abuse. It also allows survivors to terminate leases more safely, limits their financial liability for damages caused by an abuser, and places restrictions on landlords sending housing debts to collections. Additionally, the law supports safety measures such as lock changes without retaliation and allows courts to suppress housing case records when public access could put survivors at risk.
Colorado’s Warranty of Habitability
Colorado’s Warranty of Habitability is a big one and comes up often with new updates, reforms, or expansions. As a whole, the Warranty of Habitability requires that every residential landlord provide and maintain rental housing that is safe, sanitary, and fit for human habitation throughout the lease. If a condition arises that materially threatens a tenant’s life, health, or safety—such as lack of heat, water, functioning utilities, pest infestations, or other unsafe conditions—the landlord must take timely “remedial action” after receiving notice from the tenant. Recent reforms clarified that landlords generally must begin addressing uninhabitable conditions within about 72 hours of notice and fully repair them within specified timeframes depending on the severity of the issue. If the landlord fails to fix the issue after notice, tenants may pursue remedies such as rent reduction, repairs, lease termination, or using the breach as a defense in eviction proceedings. The law also prohibits retaliation against tenants who make good-faith habitability complaints and allows courts or local governments to enforce violations. A recent update also added that if the same habitability issue reoccurs within a 6-month time period, residents have the right to terminate their lease if they choose to do so.
Colorado’s legal landscape changes frequently as new bills are proposed, passed, or fail during each legislative session. Staying up to date on any and all changes that affect the housing industry is imperative for rental property management in Colorado as a whole. For that reason, landlords must stay aware of any and all changes that could occur and adjust their policies and practices accordingly as laws change. This is where having a reliable property management company comes in handy. Real Property Management Colorado routinely tracks these changes and adapts to remain in compliance with any and all laws that affect property management. Contact us with any questions about how our team can help keep you and your property compliant with these laws and more, and be sure to seek legal advice from a trusted Colorado real estate attorney when needed!
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*The following content is for information purposes only. Real Property Management Colorado, LLC is not an attorney and does not provide legal advice. Please contact a real estate attorney for questions or concerns regarding these or any other laws pertaining to real estate and managing a rental property.
