Five Laws Most Colorado Landlords Don't Know
By Marc Cunningham Wednesday, December 4, 2024
As we approach 2025, Colorado landlords and housing providers face a critical challenge: staying compliant with the state’s new and revised laws. These laws apply universally to ALL Colorado housing providers, real estate investors, and landlords, whether they own just one single property or manage thousands. To help, we’ve highlighted five common laws that housing providers often overlook when navigating these changes and how to ensure compliance with them.
*Grace Property Management is not an attorney firm, and this is not legal advice. The below is simply our interpretation of some aspects of HB 24-1318. A legal professional should be consulted before relying on any of the below information.1. New Lease Language: Warranty of HabitabilityBeginning in 2025, all Colorado residential lease agreements must include updated language reflecting changes to the warranty of habitability laws. This update redefines habitability standards and among other things, also requires:•Specific legal language in a lease and even the font formatting must be in bold and a required font size.•Specific legal language informing tenants of their rights related to habitability, including their ability to request temporary housing during certain repairs issues.
2. New Lease Language: Maintenance RequestsColorado housing providers are now required to include detailed instructions in their leases on how tenants can submit maintenance requests. The lease must:•Include an email address, a physical mailing address, and clear instructions for submitting requests.•Include this language in both English and Spanish.Failing to incorporate these changes could result in penalties. To view and read the full bill in which this is mandated, click here: SB 24-094
3. Repair Requirements For Habitability IssuesUnder the newly redefined warranty of habitability in SB 24-094, real estate investors face new and stricter standards for addressing repair issues including detailed time requirements. The bill significantly expands what qualifies as a habitability concern and mandates faster response times. Key highlights include:•Redefined Habitability: The updated law broadens the definition of habitability to include issues like mold and other environmental concerns. For full details, review the bill here.•24-Hour Response Requirement: Landlords must address habitability-related repair requests within 24 hours. Delayed responses could lead to tenant claims and legal penalties.•Tenant Rights: Tenants must be informed of their right to temporary housing during major repairs.
4. Tenant Notices Must Be Tenants Preferred LanguageUnder HB 24-198, landlords must provide demand notices (e.g., for unpaid rent) in the tenant’s preferred language.•Housing providers should identify the tenant’s primary language during the application process.•Housing providers should ensure all notices, including rent demand and eviction notices, are translated accordingly before service.Ignoring this requirement could invalidate a legal eviction proceedings. This law applies equally to single-property landlords and large companies, so preparation is key.
5. Major Changes To Applicant ScreeningColorado has tightened rules and added restrictions around the residential applicant screening process:•Income Limits: It is illegal to require an applicant’s income to exceed two times the monthly rent.•Credit Reports: Housing providers may NOT access or view credit reports for applicants who receive subsidized housing.•Portable Screening Reports: If an applicant provides a landlord with a portable screening report, the landlords must accept it and may not charge an application fee to the applicant / tenant.
What the rental market will do in 2025With stricter regulations and a shifting rental market, landlords must stay informed and proactive. Grace Property Management’s 2024 Annual Letter provides insights into these changes and expectations for the year ahead and may be viewed here.At Grace Property Management we believe that when property management is performed with integrity, both tenants and landlords benefit. Property Management is not just our business - it is a relationship between us, our owner-clients, and our tenant-residents.
If these are important to you, we may be a good fit to provide you, your property, and your tenant-resident with our full service property management services. Feel free to reach out to us for assistance.Grace Property Management & Real EstateServing real estate investors and residents since 1978.www.RentGrace.com303-255-1990
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