Denver / Move in guide

Moving into a Denver rental without costly surprises

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Colorado has added many renter protections in recent years, and most of them apply at the start of a tenancy: limits on application fees and deposits, rules on how applicants are screened, and new disclosures in the lease. Denver adds its own licensing and notice requirements. This guide walks through moving into a Denver rental in order, with a source for every rule.

Before you apply

Ask for the total move in cost in writing before you pay anything: the application fee, first month's rent, the deposit, any pet deposit and any recurring fees. Ask whether the landlord accepts portable screening reports, and ask for the screening criteria, so you can judge whether an application is likely to succeed before paying for it. Never pay a fee or deposit to anyone who has not shown you the inside of the unit, and be cautious about any request for payment by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

Applying: fees and portable reports

In Colorado, a rental application fee is limited to the landlord's actual or average cost of screening, every applicant must be charged the same amount, and fees not used for screening must be returned. If you provide a portable tenant screening report, the landlord may not charge you an application fee.^[1] Landlords must accept portable reports that are no more than 30 days old, and they must state your right to use one in 12 point bold type in their advertisements and applications.^[2]

Colorado also limits what landlords may consider. A landlord may not require income of more than twice the annual rent, may consider rental and credit history only from the past seven years, may not consider arrest records, and generally may not consider most convictions more than five years old. If you are denied, the landlord must give you the reasons in writing within 20 calendar days.^[2]

Source of income protection

Since January 1, 2021, Colorado has prohibited housing discrimination based on source of income. The protection covers lawful income such as housing assistance, disability benefits, unemployment and veterans' benefits.^[3] If you use a voucher or benefits to pay rent, a landlord should evaluate your application on the same terms as anyone else's.

The deposit and pet charges

A Colorado landlord may not require a security deposit of more than two months' rent.^[4] If you have a pet, the pet deposit may not exceed $300 and must be refundable, and monthly pet rent may not exceed the greater of $35 or 1.5 percent of the monthly rent.^[5] Pay by a method that leaves a record, such as a check or bank transfer, and get a written receipt showing what each payment covers.

Is the rental licensed?

Denver requires residential rentals to be licensed. Multi unit properties needed a license by January 1, 2023, and single unit properties by January 1, 2024. A license requires a third party inspection covering basics such as a working heater, running water and freedom from pests and black mold.^[6] Ask the landlord for the license number before you sign. A licensed rental has passed a basic inspection, and an unlicensed one may signal other problems.

What your lease must include

Habitability rights: Colorado requires leases to include a statement, in 12 point bold type, of the tenant's rights to a habitable home and protection from retaliation.^[7]
Radon disclosure: Before you sign, the landlord must give you a written radon warning, any known radon test results, information about any mitigation system and the state's radon brochure.^[8] Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer among people who do not smoke, and Colorado estimates it causes about 500 lung cancer deaths in the state each year.^[9]
Late fees: Any late fee must be stated in the lease. It may not be charged until rent is at least seven days late, and it may not exceed the greater of $50 or 5 percent of the past due rent.^[10]
Denver's tenant notice: Denver requires a Tenant Rights and Resources Notice to be provided at lease signing.^[11]

Some clauses are not allowed at all. Colorado prohibits several lease terms, including one sided fee clauses and waivers of the right to a jury trial or to join a class action.^[12] And under a 2025 law, a lease may not describe any charge other than the monthly charge for occupying the home as rent.^[13][14] If a clause seems unfair, ask about it before you sign.

Read the rest of the lease

Read every page and addendum, and ask for anything unclear to be explained in writing. Check the rent, the due date and accepted payment methods, the lease term and renewal terms, who pays each utility, parking and storage charges, rules on pets and guests, and how repair requests are made. Ask for a written list of every recurring charge beyond rent. Note the renewal terms as well: Colorado allows rent to rise only once in any 12 month period^[15], but it does not limit the size of an increase.^[16]

Photograph everything at move in

From January 1, 2026, a landlord that keeps any part of a deposit must support deductions with documentation such as photographs, inspection forms, receipts and invoices^[17], so it is in your interest to have your own record too. On the day you receive the keys, before any furniture arrives, photograph and film every room: walls, floors, ceilings, windows, screens, blinds, doors, the inside and outside of each appliance, cabinets, closets, bathrooms and any balcony or patio. Take close ups of existing damage with a wider shot showing where it is. Email the photographs, or a link to them, to the manager with a list of existing problems, so there is a dated record that the landlord received it. The evidence guide explains how to organize these records.

Set up utilities and services

Xcel Energy is the regulated electric and natural gas provider in Denver^[18], and Denver Water serves the city and many surrounding suburbs.^[19] Ask the landlord which accounts must be in your name and start them before move in day, so the heat or power is on when you arrive. Ask which services are included and which are billed separately.

Cooling and heating

Working heat is one of Colorado's habitability requirements^[7], so test the heater during your viewing, even in summer. Air conditioning is different: Denver's housing code does not require it, although air conditioning a landlord provides must be safe and working.^[20] Colorado law generally does not allow a landlord to ban portable cooling devices unless installing one would violate building codes, damage the property or exceed the electrical capacity.^[7][21]

Insurance before the keys

Renters insurance covers personal property, additional living expenses if you must leave your home, and liability.^[22] Many leases require it. Buy coverage before move in day so your belongings are protected while they are being moved, and start a home inventory as the Colorado Division of Insurance recommends.^[22]

Entry for repairs

When a landlord needs to enter to make repairs, Colorado requires 24 hours' written notice stating the date, time and estimated length of the visit, unless there is an imminent threat. You may reasonably decline a proposed time and suggest another.^[23]

If the unit is not ready on move in day

Walk through before you carry anything inside. If the home is not clean, the heat does not work, an appliance is broken or the previous tenant's belongings remain, photograph the problem and tell the landlord in writing that day. Colorado's habitability law sets firm response times: after notice, the landlord must respond within 24 hours and begin repairs within 24 hours for conditions that materially interfere with life, health or safety, or within 72 hours for other conditions that make the home uninhabitable.^[23] The inspection guide explains that process in detail.

Pets and roommates

If you have a pet, get the pet terms in writing and check them against Colorado's limits on pet deposits and pet rent.^[5] If you are moving in with roommates, make sure every adult is named on the lease or approved in writing, and agree among yourselves how rent, utilities and the deposit refund will be divided. A short written agreement between roommates prevents many disputes at move out.

Keep your paperwork together

Create one folder, on paper and backed up digitally, for everything from the start of the tenancy: the application receipt or portable report, the lease and addenda, the radon disclosure and brochure, Denver's tenant notice, the deposit receipt, move in photographs, utility account details and every written message with the landlord. Name files by date so they sort in order. When a question comes up months later, that folder is what settles it.

Your first week

Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and the heater, and report problems in writing.
Find the water shut off valve and the electrical panel.
Save the landlord's contact details and the address for notices.
Keep your lease, disclosures, receipts and photographs together.

Where to get information

Denver's Department of Housing Stability offers resources for tenants, including a free eviction legal clinic and funding for free legal representation for eligible households, and it answers tenant questions at tenantlegalservices@denvergov.org.^[11] Colorado Housing Connects can be reached at 1 844 926 6632.^[11]

Your completion record

Application fee or portable report
Deposit and pet charges within limits
Rental license number
Radon disclosure and brochure
Tenant rights notice
Move in photographs sent
Utilities started
Renters insurance

Keep this record with your lease. Use the planning tools to test your move in costs, and see the inspection guide for what to check in each room.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Denver guides

Comparing possible destinations? Read Denver vs. Phoenix Cost Of Living for metropolitan price comparisons, illustrative budgets and the limits of the underlying data.

Put your moving payments on a calendar

If a lease starts before your arrival, confirm how keys and condition records will be handled. Do not assume that a friend receiving a delivery can also complete the formal handover. Budget separately for any agreed temporary accommodation and repeat delivery instead of hiding both in a general moving allowance.

A dated cash schedule is more useful than one large total

Use the following worksheet after collecting the actual written payment requirements for your home. It is an illustrative planning exercise shared across Homzora editions, not a survey of local prices, a recommended deposit or a statement that every listed charge is permitted. Confirm applicable rules separately. The point is to see what leaves your account before the next reliable income arrives.

Begin with money that is available for the move after setting aside your other commitments. Do not include an expected deposit refund, an unconfirmed reimbursement or a future sale of furniture as though it has already cleared. Enter a future receipt on its expected date and test a second version in which it arrives later. This distinction matters even when your total monthly income looks sufficient.

Hypothetical moving cash schedule starting with $5,000
Timing	Assumed transaction	Cash movement	Balance
Before payments	Available moving funds	$5,000 opening funds	$5,000
Fourteen days before entry	Deposit and moving reservation	$1,000 plus $100 paid	$3,900
Two days before entry	Initial rent and utility allowance	$1,500 plus $200 paid	$2,200
Entry day	Remaining moving balance	$300 paid	$1,900
Three days after entry	Essential household purchases	$200 paid	$1,700
Seven days after entry	Assumed income receipt	$900 received	$2,600

The assumed payments total $3,300. The $100 moving reservation is part of the $400 moving bill, so the delivery day balance is $300, not another $400. The assumed $1,000 deposit uses cash even if it may later be returned. Whether the $200 utility allowance contains a refundable deposit, a fee or both must be established from the real provider documents. These amounts deliberately separate a payment schedule from a final expense calculation.

Find the lowest balance before committing

In this example, the lowest balance is $1,700 before the assumed income arrives. If you want to retain $300 for unexpected needs, the remaining headroom at that point is $1,400. The reserve is still part of your money; do not subtract it as an expense and then count it again as a bill. Keep a separate column showing how much of the balance is committed or deliberately retained.

If opening funds were only $3,000 with every other assumption unchanged, the balance would reach negative $300 before the income receipt. Keeping a $300 reserve would require another $600 available by then, or equivalent agreed reductions or timing changes. A positive balance after payday would not solve the earlier shortage. Do not assume a provider will delay payment unless that change has been confirmed.

Make every row traceable

For your own version, add the payee, written amount, due date, payment reference and refund conditions. Record what a reservation payment will be applied toward. When an estimate changes, preserve the old version and explain which row changed. For a shared household, separate the person who pays the provider from the people who reimburse that person. Otherwise the same expense can appear several times or a funding gap can be hidden inside an informal promise.

Before sending money, verify the property, the person authorized to receive payment and the instructions through a contact method you have independently checked. A payment request arriving in an existing email conversation is not enough by itself to prove that new account details are genuine. Keep evidence of what you agreed and of the payment you actually made.

Connect the budget to the existing guide

Use the local sources and lease questions elsewhere in this guide to establish the actual terms, then enter the confirmed figures into this worksheet. Add storage, extra travel, overlapping housing payments, insurance or other services only when they apply to your move. Existing optional provider links can help you request quotes, but a quote is useful only when its scope matches the arrangement you intend to buy. Recheck the schedule after the first ordinary week in the home.

Continue with a focused decision worksheet

Denver Heating Bills: Build a Seasonal Budget From the Records You Can Verify