Offered by: Jan Hepp-Struck, Hepp Realty
August of this year brought some pretty significant changes to the Colorado Landlord Laws and if you have rental property (one or more), you need to be aware.
Application Fees: As of the August updates there are limits on the amount you can charge for an application fee, and also the information you can consider as part of the application process. For instance, you are no longer able to consider credit or rental history of an applicant beyond seven years, and five years for criminal history. The changes also mandate that you must:
- Disclose application fees
- Provide a receipt for application fees
- Provide an explanation when denying an application
- Refund any unused portion of the application fee
Bed Bugs: If your tenant notifies you that they suspect bed bugs, you are required to have an inspection by a qualified inspector within 96 hours, and you must report the findings to the tenant. If bed bugs are found, it is your responsibility as the landlord/property manager to treat and eradicate the bed bug issue, and at your expense, regardless of who causes the infection. Warranty of Habitability: The new changes extend and expand the tenant’s rights and the landlord’s requirements. You are now required to:
- Respond within 24 hours with intent for remedying the problem
- Provide an estimate of when remediation will begin
- Provide an estimate of when remediation will be completed
There may also be allowances for the tenant to withhold payment of rent if the landlord does not respond in the allotted timeframe.
10-Day Cure: Previously, a landlord could post a “3-Day Cure” notice informing the tenant they had three days to make their rent payment before the landlord could initiate a legal eviction. This has now been increased to ten days which will most likely extend the minimum time to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent.
For proven expertise in establishing your home value and/or searching for a new or existing home, please call Jan at (303) 520-4340.
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