Colorado’s Landmark Overhaul of Landlord-Tenant Laws: A Five-Year Transformation
Over the past five years, Colorado’s landscape for renters and landlords has been fundamentally reshaped. Once known for its landlord-friendly statutes, Colorado has now enacted some of the nation’s most robust “for cause” eviction standards and fee regulations. This transformation reflects a sweeping legislative effort to balance the scales in rental housing and provide clear, enforceable rights for tenants across the state.
Major Eviction Reforms (2024–2025)
Perhaps the most consequential change is the passage of the For Cause Eviction Act (HB24-1098), which brought an end to “no-cause” lease non-renewals. Under these new rules, landlords are no longer permitted to simply choose not to renew a lease at the end of its term without a legally recognized reason. Acceptable grounds for non-renewal now include tenant non-payment of rent (following a 10-day grace period), substantial lease violations, or criminal activity.
Additionally, certain “no-fault” circumstances remain—such as when the landlord intends to demolish the property, undertake significant renovations, move a family member in, or sell the property—but these now require a minimum 90-day written notice to tenants. Another substantial shift: tenants are no longer responsible for paying a fee to file an answer in an eviction case (HB24-1099), lowering a significant barrier to defending against eviction.
Fees and Rent Protections
Colorado’s recent legislation has also brought strict limitations to how and when landlords can impose fees. With the passage of SB21-173, late fees may only be charged after rent is seven days overdue and are capped at the greater of $50 or 5% of the past-due amount. Effective January 1, 2026, security deposits will be limited to a maximum of one month’s rent, and landlords can no longer withhold deposits for “normal wear and tear”—a category now explicitly including common issues like carpet buckling and wall scuffs.
Transparency in rental pricing has also been prioritized: landlords must disclose the full “total price” of rent in advertisements, including all mandatory fees, to prevent so-called “junk fees” from obscuring the real cost (HB25-1090). New caps have also been set for pet-related expenses: pet security deposits cannot exceed $300, and monthly pet rent is limited to the greater of $35 or 1.5% of rent (HB23-1068).
Habitability and Expanded Tenant Rights
The Warranty of Habitability underwent major strengthening in 2024 and 2025, ensuring that rental housing meets basic standards for safety and livability. Landlords are now required to begin repairs within 24 hours for conditions that threaten life, health, or safety, and within 72 hours for other habitability issues. Should a unit become uninhabitable, landlords may be obligated to provide comparable temporary housing or a hotel at no charge to the tenant until repairs are complete, for up to 60 days. Once a tenant makes a claim, the presumption is that the property is uninhabitable, a presumption the landlord’s answer must prove is either incorrect or being property addressed.
Accessibility has also been meaningfully addressed: under HB24-1318, landlords must cover the cost of “reasonable modifications” requested by tenants with disabilities—an expense that previously fell to tenants. Additionally, for tenants who receive public assistance, landlords are now often required to participate in mediation before filing for eviction (HB23-1120), adding another layer of protection against sudden displacement.
Screening and Application Process Improvements
Recent reforms have modernized and streamlined the tenant application process statewide. Landlords must now accept a Portable Tenant Screening Report (PTSR) provided by the applicant, reducing the need for renters to pay multiple application fees (HB23-1099). Furthermore, income requirements have been capped: landlords cannot require applicants to earn more than 200% of the annual rent (SB23-184), making housing more accessible to lower-income Coloradans.
These sweeping changes mark Colorado as a national leader in tenant protections, setting a new standard for fairness, transparency, and housing stability in the rental market. For further information on local requirements and best practices, consult the Landlord Tenant Handbook from the City of Boulder or the Colorado General Assembly’s Summary of Renters’ Rights.
Best Practices to prepare for an Eviction:
Tenants can only be evicted for cause, and there are three major classifications of evictions. There is the eviction for nonpayment of rent, another for substantial violations, and the third for lease termination at end of term.
The notice for nonpayment of rent, or JDF99A, is curable right up to the date of the trial. This is generally a 10-day notice, 3-day for commercial space or employee housing. If a residential landlord is exempt (5 or fewer units), their lease can include a clause that notices to quit will be 5-day notices.
Though the late rent notice is curable, it does not have to go on forever, even if cured once. If there are two or more months, during a lease term (1 year lease is a term of 1 year), in which a tenant has been late more than the new mandatory grace period of 10 days, the landlord can file a 99B or C, filled out to make it clear there have been multiple breaches of the lease. This can be for late rent months, or other breaches.
The 99B Substantial Violations notices are generally proper after physical assault, assault by the tenant or a guest of the tenant, on anyone in or around the property, or damage to property. Don’t make the mistake of using this for lack of required insurance, that may indirectly endanger the property, but the Court is looking for direct endangerment. Finally, the 99C is most used for non-renewal of leases and is discussed above.
The best practice, if the lease violation is curable (first time, unless…) is to serve or post a notice, after at least two attempts to serve, every time a violation occurs. Phone messages, texts, emails, or demand letters won’t be adequate notices to preserve the notice for a non-curable eviction, what the Court is looking for is a notice that contains at least the same terms and information included in JDF 99 A, B, and C notices. Best practice is just to use one of these 3 notices.
For forms, and some basic instructions, you can go to this website: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-resources
Samuel McMechan, Esq.
Office: 720-638-7142
Email: smcmechan@mcmechanlaw.com
McMechan Law, www.mcmechanlaw.com
13791 East Rice Pl. ste 144,
Aurora, CO 80015
Appointment only.