Colorado tenant rights

Guides for Colorado renters

Security deposit in Colorado

Limit

Two months' rent (since August 7, 2023). A separate pet deposit may be no more than $300 and must be refundable; monthly pet rent may be no more than $35 or 1.5% of rent, whichever is greater.

Deadline to return it

Within 30 days after the lease ends or you surrender the unit, whichever is later (this has been '30 days' instead of 'one month' since January 1, 2026). The lease can allow a longer period, but never more than 60 days. The landlord may mail the refund and statement to your last known address, send them to an email address it knows you use, or, if you agree, pay by secure electronic transfer, so give your forwarding address in writing. If a mailed refund comes back, the landlord must hold it for at least one year and pay it within 15 days after you ask. If you moved out because the landlord did not fix a hazardous gas problem within 72 hours, the deposit is due within 72 hours.

Itemized list

Yes. If the landlord keeps any part, it must send a written statement listing the exact reasons, together with the rest of the money. Since January 1, 2026, if you ask in writing within 14 days after getting the statement, the landlord must also give you its documentation (photos, inspection reports, receipts, invoices or estimates). If the landlord does not follow these rules, it loses the right to keep any part of the deposit. C.R.S. § 38-12-103(1), (2), (8).

What may be deducted

Since January 1, 2026, only reasonable amounts for: unpaid rent or abandonment; unpaid utility charges; other lawful charges listed in the lease; and necessary repairs for damage beyond normal wear and tear that was not there when you moved in. Nothing may be kept for normal wear and tear or pre-existing damage, and lease clauses charging you for these are void. 'Normal wear and tear' includes ordinary deterioration, damage or dirt from normal use, but not leaving the unit substantially less clean than at move-in. Replacing all the carpet or repainting the whole unit is allowed only for substantial damage, and never for carpet more than 10 years old. Victims of domestic violence or stalking who end a lease under § 38-12-402 are not charged for damage caused by the abuser.

Interest

No. The statute does not require interest.

Move-in checklist

No move-in checklist is required. Since January 1, 2026 (HB25-1249), either you or the landlord may request a walk-through before the lease ends, after you have had a chance to remove furniture; it can be in person or by video.

If the landlord keeps it wrongly

If the landlord wrongfully keeps the deposit (since 2026 this includes missing the deadline, not listing exact reasons, not returning the balance on time, or keeping it in bad faith), you can recover three times the amount wrongly withheld, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. First send the landlord a written demand for the deposit saying you intend to sue; you can sue for triple damages only if the landlord does not return the money within 7 days after receiving it. Keeping 125% or more of the landlord's actual damages is presumed bad faith. The landlord must prove it followed the law and its actual damages. A landlord who acted in good faith but kept too much owes only the excess and court costs.

Law

C.R.S. §§ 38-12-102, 38-12-102.5, 38-12-103 (as amended by HB25-1168 and HB25-1249), 38-12-104, 38-12-106

How to get your deposit back

1. Before you move out, clean, take dated photos and video of every room, and return all keys.
2. Give your landlord your new address in writing. In Colorado: The landlord may mail the refund and statement to your last known address, send them to an email address it knows you use, or, if you agree, pay by secure electronic transfer, so give your forwarding address in writing.
3. Wait for the deadline: Within 30 days after the lease ends or you surrender the unit, whichever is later (this has been '30 days' instead of 'one month' since January 1, 2026).
4. If the money or an itemized list doesn't come, or the deductions are wrong, send a demand letter (below). Keep proof of mailing.
5. If that doesn't work, sue in small claims court. Limit: $7,500, not counting interest and costs. Small claims court in Colorado on Small Claims Map

Full Colorado security deposit guide

Repairs in Colorado

The landlord's duty

The landlord must keep the unit fit for human habitation for the whole tenancy (warranty of habitability). The landlord breaks it if the unit is uninhabitable or has a condition that materially interferes with your life, health or safety, and after written notice the landlord does not start repairs within 24 hours (life, health or safety) or 72 hours (other habitability problems) and finish within a reasonable time. For life-health-safety problems, you can ask for a comparable unit or hotel room at no cost within 24 hours. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-503, 38-12-505.

How to ask for repairs

Give written notice in the way your lease or the landlord usually uses (text, email, maintenance portal all count if that is how you normally communicate). The landlord must contact you within 24 hours and start repairs within 24 hours (life, health or safety) or 72 hours (other habitability problems). If the problem is still there after 7 days (life-health-safety) or 14 days (other), the law presumes the landlord failed. You can also end the lease with 10 to 60 days' written notice if it is not fixed. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-503, 38-12-507.

Repair and deduct

Yes (since May 3, 2024). Give the landlord at least 10 days' written notice (48 hours if the problem threatens life, health or safety) that you will hire a licensed or qualified professional who is not your relative. If the landlord does not fix it in that time, you may hire the professional and deduct the cost from one or more rent payments, then give the landlord the receipt. For a broken appliance, you can replace it with a comparable one after 3 days' written notice and deduct the cost. Deducting in bad faith can cost you double. C.R.S. § 38-12-507(1)(c).

Withholding rent

No general rent-withholding right outside repair-and-deduct, but a breach of habitability is a defense to eviction for nonpayment, and you do not need to post a bond or pay into court to raise it. If the court finds a breach, the rent is presumed reduced to $0 (life-health-safety problems) or 50% (other problems) for the time it was not fixed. C.R.S. § 38-12-507(2)-(3).

Law

C.R.S. §§ 38-12-503, 38-12-505, 38-12-507

Full Colorado repair rights guide

Landlord entry in Colorado

No general statute on landlord entry; check your lease. For repairs of habitability problems, the landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice with the date, time and expected length of the visit, except when the problem is an imminent threat to life, health or safety or would cause serious damage. You may reasonably refuse the time offered and propose another. C.R.S. § 38-12-503(6).

Eviction in Colorado

Notice for unpaid rent

10-day written demand to pay rent or move out (5 days for an 'exempt residential agreement': a single-family home rented by a landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rentals and says so in the lease). The notice must describe the grounds, mention the right to mediation for tenants on SSI, SSDI or Colorado Works, and be in English, Spanish or your primary language. C.R.S. §§ 13-40-104(1)(d), 13-40-106.

Notice for a lease violation

10-day notice to comply with the lease or move out (5 days for exempt residential agreements). A repeat violation of the same rule allows a 10-day notice to terminate with no chance to cure. A 'substantial violation' (certain serious crimes or acts endangering others) allows a 3-day notice to terminate. C.R.S. §§ 13-40-104(1)(e), (e.5), 13-40-107.5.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

If you have lived there at least 12 months, most landlords need a legal 'cause' to end your tenancy or refuse to renew (for-cause eviction law, HB24-1098, since April 19, 2024). Not covered: tenants of less than 12 months, short-term rentals, and units in an owner-occupied (or owner-adjacent) single-family home, duplex or triplex. 'No-fault' causes are limited to demolition or conversion, major renovation, owner or family move-in, sale, refusing a new lease with reasonable terms, and a history of nonpayment; demolition/conversion and renovation require at least 90 days' written notice. Where a periodic tenancy can be ended, and for tenants ending one, the notice is: tenancy of 1 to 6 months (including month-to-month), 21 days; 6 months to 1 year, 28 days; 1 year or longer, 91 days. C.R.S. §§ 13-40-107, 38-12-1302, 38-12-1303.

Time to respond to an eviction lawsuit

The summons sets an appearance date 7 to 14 days after it is issued. You must file a written answer at or before that date and time (or appear) or the court can enter a default judgment for possession. C.R.S. §§ 13-40-111, 13-40-113.

Lockouts and utility shutoffs

Yes. The landlord may not remove or lock you out, willfully shut off utilities (heat, water, hot water, electricity, gas), or remove doors, windows or locks without a court order. You can sue to get back in and recover your actual damages plus statutory damages of three times the monthly rent or $5,000, whichever is higher, plus attorney fees. C.R.S. § 38-12-510.

Court self-help

The court's eviction self-help page

Law

C.R.S. §§ 13-40-104, 13-40-106, 13-40-107, 13-40-111, 13-40-113, 38-12-510, 38-12-1303

Full Colorado eviction guide

Rent increases and rent control in Colorado

Notice of a rent increase

At least 60 days' written notice if you have no written lease. Rent may be raised only once in any 12 months, whether or not there is a written lease. A fixed-term lease cannot be raised during its term unless it allows it. C.R.S. §§ 38-12-701, 38-12-702.

Rent control

No statewide rent cap. Cities and counties are not allowed to control rents on private housing (C.R.S. § 38-12-301), except through voluntary affordable-housing agreements.

Late fees in Colorado

No late fee until rent is at least 7 calendar days late. The fee cannot be more than $50 or 5% of the past-due rent, whichever is greater, must be in the lease, can be charged only once per late payment, and cannot be the basis for an eviction. Violations: $50 penalty, and if not fixed within 7 days of your notice, $150 to $1,000 per violation plus damages and attorney fees. C.R.S. § 38-12-105. Since January 1, 2026 (HB25-1090, C.R.S. § 6-1-737), landlords must show the total price of rent including required fees, and may not charge late fees on overdue amounts that are not rent, payment-processing fees when no free way to pay is available, fees for property taxes or common-area maintenance, utility charges above the provider's actual cost, or fees that rise by more than 2% during a lease of a year or less.

Retaliation in Colorado

The landlord may not raise rent, cut services, end or refuse to renew your lease, sue or threaten to evict you, harass you, or charge fees because you made a good-faith complaint about conditions (to the landlord, a nonprofit or a government agency), joined a tenants' association, or used your habitability rights. You only need to show your complaint was a 'motivating factor.' Damages: three months' rent or three times your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees, and you may end the lease. It is also a defense to eviction. The statute sets no presumption period. C.R.S. § 38-12-509.

Small claims court in Colorado

Deposit disputes usually go to small claims court, where you don't need a lawyer.

Limit: $7,500, not counting interest and costs.

Where to get free help in Colorado

• Colorado Judicial Branch: Self-Help Forms (Housing Cases / Residential Evictions)
• Colorado Division of Real Estate: HB25-1249 tenant security deposit summary
• Colorado Legal Services (statewide free legal aid)

Good to know in Colorado

• Colorado has a statewide 'for-cause' eviction law since April 2024: after 12 months, most landlords cannot end a month-to-month tenancy or refuse to renew without a legal reason.
• Since May 2024 you can repair-and-deduct for habitability problems after 10 days' written notice (48 hours for urgent problems), using a qualified professional.
• Late fees: none until rent is 7 days late, and no more than $50 or 5% of the overdue rent.

Recent law changes

HB24-1098 (April 19, 2024): statewide for-cause eviction, limited no-fault grounds with 90-day notice for demolition/conversion and renovation. SB24-094 (May 3, 2024): rewrote the warranty of habitability (24/72-hour response, hotel or comparable unit, repair-and-deduct, rent presumed $0 or 50%, lockout damages raised to 3 months' rent or $5,000). HB25-1168 (2025): housing protections for victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, including deposit and early-termination rules. HB25-1249 (January 1, 2026): deposit return deadline is 30 days (max 60 by lease); walk-through on request; new definitions of normal wear and tear and bad faith; 'wrongful' (not only 'willful') withholding brings triple damages after a 7-day demand; documentation on request; limits on carpet and paint charges. HB25-1090 (January 1, 2026): total-price disclosure and a ban on many rental 'junk fees'. 2026 session: HB26-1196 (rental application disclosures about screening and privacy of eviction filings) and HB26-1013 (rules for splitting utility bills among tenants), per the Legislative Council 2026 housing summary. Earlier: HB23-1068 (January 1, 2024) capped pet deposits and pet rent; SB23-184 (August 7, 2023) capped deposits at two months.

Free tools for Colorado renters

Pre-set for Colorado. They run in your browser and send nothing.

Deposit return calculator for Colorado

Find your state's deadline for returning a security deposit, whether your landlord is late and what you may be owed. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Security deposit demand letter for Colorado

A short, firm and polite letter asking your landlord to return your deposit by a date. It cites your state's deposit law. Many landlords pay at this step, and the letter is proof that you asked. Fill this in, download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail with a return receipt.

Repair request letter for Colorado

Ask your landlord in writing to fix the problem by a date. A written, dated request is the first step in almost every state, and it is proof that the landlord knew. Check the problems, add dates, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it). Sign it, keep a copy and photos, and send it in a way you can prove.

Eviction notice timeline for Colorado

Got a notice from your landlord? Enter the kind of notice and the day you got it to see the dates that follow from your state's rule, what your landlord may not do, and where to get free help fast.

Questions about renters' rights in Colorado

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