Effective Date: August 2nd, 2019
Key points:
Application Fees:
Landlords must use the entire rental application fee solely to cover the costs of processing the application, such as conducting background checks.
All prospective tenants must be charged the same fee amount for the same or similar units.
Landlords are required to provide an itemized receipt detailing how the application fee is utilized.
Any unused portion of the fee must be refunded to the applicant within 20 days.
Screening Criteria:
Prior to accepting an application or fee, landlords must disclose in writing their tenant selection criteria and reasons that may lead to application denial.
When evaluating rental or credit history, landlords can only consider information from the past seven years.
For criminal history, landlords are limited to considering convictions within the past five years, except for specific serious offenses such as methamphetamine-related crimes, sex offenses requiring registration, homicide, or stalking.
Denial Notifications:
If an application is denied, landlords must provide a written notice stating the specific reasons for the denial.
Penalties:
Landlords who violate these provisions may be liable for triple the amount of the application fee, plus court costs.
Landlords have a seven-day period to correct any violations after receiving notice to avoid liability.
This legislation aims to ensure transparency and fairness in the rental application process for prospective tenants in Colorado.
