2025 Housing Legislative Updates For Denver Colorado Landlords

The Spring 2025 Colorado legislative session brought a wave of new housing laws—many of which reshape how landlords operate in Denver and across the metro area. From tenant screening regulations to rent-setting limitations and receivership powers, these updates demand attention from every property owner, manager, and investor. We’re breaking down the newest laws so you can adapt with confidence. Here are the most important legislative updates from the 2025 session and how they affect you.

1. SB 25‑020 – Receivership for Neglected Properties

Summary: SB 25-020 allows the Colorado Attorney General or local municipalities to take legal action against landlords who fail to maintain habitable properties. Courts can appoint third-party receivers to take over operations, repairs, and finances.

Impact on Landlords:

• Major enforcement tool for chronic code violators.
• Risk of losing control of your rental asset.

Landlord Action: Conduct proactive inspections and document repairs to avoid receivership.

2. HB 25‑1090 – Rental Fee Transparency (“Junk Fee” Law)

Summary: Starting in 2026, HB 25-1090 requires that landlords disclose all mandatory fees (admin, trash, pest, etc.) in advertisements.

Impact on Landlords:

• Failure to disclose fees = deceptive trade practice.
• Adds marketing compliance obligations.

Landlord Action: Begin updating all rental listings to show full pricing transparency.

3. HB 25‑1272 – Construction Defect Reform for Condo Projects

Summary: HB 25-1272 says that developers who opt into quality-assurance inspections can limit exposure to defect litigation.

Impact on Investors:

• Encourages more condo development, especially in metro infill areas.
• Opens the door for more buy-and-hold investment options in newer buildings.

Landlord Action: Watch for emerging condo projects and assess long-term rental potential.

4. SB 25‑002 – Expansion of Modular Housing Construction

Summary: SB 25-002 streamlines approval for modular builds across Colorado via a statewide code.

Impact on Housing Providers:

• Enables quicker and cheaper additions of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
• Incentivizes infill development and small-scale multifamily builds.

Landlord Action: Consider modular construction for expanding your rental footprint.

5. HB 25‑1108 – Lease Termination After Tenant Death

Summary: HB 25-1108 clarifies how landlords must handle leases when a tenant passes away.

Key Points:

• Prohibits rent acceleration clauses post-death.
• Requires lease termination with minimal barriers.
• Outlines handling of personal property and communication with estates.

Landlord Action: Review lease terms related to tenant death and revise to comply.

6. HB 25‑1249 – New Security Deposit Rules

Summary: HB 25-1249 tightens regulations around how landlords collect, return, and document security deposits.

Key Provisions:

• Defines “normal wear and tear.”
• Restricts deductions for cleaning, carpet, and paint unless justified.
• Requires landlords to provide:
  • Itemized deductions with supporting receipts.
  • Full financial statements if deposits are withheld.

Landlord Action: Adjust deposit procedures, create itemization templates, and ensure deposit records are well-organized.

7. HB 25‑1168 – Domestic Violence Lease Protections

Summary: HB 25-1168 expands the process for tenants to terminate leases due to domestic violence, and introduces structured repayment plan requirements.

New Requirements & Considerations:

• Tenants no longer need a police report to terminate a lease due to DV. Instead, they can obtain verification from a “qualified third party.”
• Qualified third parties include medical professionals, domestic violence advocates, clergy, and law enforcement.

Risks & Repayment Concerns:

• Landlords must offer a repayment plan for DV-related arrears if requested.
• The repayment plan must:
  • Be in writing.
  • Require minimum monthly payments of at least $25.
  • Conclude within 9 months.

Landlord Action: Review lease clauses and educate your team. Screen DV documentation carefully and plan for repayment negotiations.

8. HB 25‑1236 – Tenant Screening & Source of Income

Summary: HB 25-1236 makes portable screening reports mandatory and prohibits discrimination based on rental assistance.

What’s Required:

• Landlords must accept portable screening reports (valid for 60 days).
• Must treat all income sources equally, including vouchers.
• Violations may result in fines up to $5,000 or more.

Landlord Action: Adjust your application processes and rental criteria. Train your team on new compliance obligations.

9. HB 25‑1240 – Tenant Source of Income Protections

Summary: HB 25-1240 modifies protections for tenants using housing subsidies in Colorado, including extended eviction notice timelines and protections for properties with federally backed mortgages.

Key Details:

• Eviction notice period extended to 30 days for tenants using housing subsidies, including Section 8.
• Applies to properties with federally backed mortgages, regardless of federal action.
• Reflects and reinforces CARES Act-style protections at the state level.

Landlord Action: Ensure compliance with 30-day notice rules and screening practices. If you rent to subsidized tenants, your eviction process must account for these additional requirements.

❗ Did Not Pass (But Worth Watching): 

• HB 25-1235 – Jury Trials for Tenant Proceedings

Summary: HB 25-1235 would have expanded tenant rights by allowing jury trials in eviction proceedings, adding new notice service burdens and legal timelines.

Why It Matters:

• Rejected again this year, but this was the second attempt. It may return.
• Would have significantly slowed the eviction process and increased costs.

Landlord Action: Monitor future sessions and stay involved with legislative feedback groups. If this resurfaces, your voice could help shape the outcome.

• HB 24-1057 – Algorithmic Rent-Setting Ban

Summary: This bill proposed banning the use of shared-data rent pricing software, such as RealPage’s YieldStar, in an effort to prevent algorithmic collusion and rent inflation.

Why It Matters:

• Though it didn’t pass, it sparked national attention and could return in a future session.
• Had it passed, landlords would have been prohibited from using pricing tools that aggregate competitor rent data.
• Would’ve impacted multifamily operators most, but raised broader questions about tech use in rental pricing.

  
  

Landlord Action:

While legal for now, using shared-data pricing tools remains legally risky, especially in markets with growing antitrust scrutiny. Stick to internal market comps and rent analysis tools that don’t rely on competitors’ data.

Action Checklist for Denver Landlords

Final Thoughts

Colorado’s 2025 legislative session may not have created a tidal wave, but it did bring subtle, important changes that reshape how housing providers operate. By paying attention to the right details and approaching compliance with clarity—not panic—you’ll be positioned to continue operating efficiently and ethically.

Need help adjusting your policies or documentation? Reach out to My Haven. We’re here to make legal shifts easier to understand and simpler to manage.