Colorado Rental Lease Agreement Templates (6)

A Colorado lease agreement establishes the rental terms between a landlord and tenant. To ensure the document is valid, it should include both parties’ obligations, the state’s required disclosures & addenda, and the signatures of all participants.

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Last updated December 31st, 2025

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A Colorado lease agreement establishes the rental terms between a landlord and tenant. To ensure the document is valid, it should include both parties’ obligations, the state’s required disclosures & addenda, and the signatures of all participants.

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Lease Agreements (6)

Commercial Lease Agreement: Is specific to leasing real estate with the sole purpose of accommodating a business entity.

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Lease-to-Own Agreement: Allows tenants to rent a dwelling while granting them exclusive purchase rights.

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Month-to-Month Lease: A contract enabling participants to rent a dwelling specifically for one (1) month at a time.  

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Roommate Agreement: A form for tenants who wish to share the space and expenses of a dwelling accordingly.

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Standard Lease Agreement: Sets the contractual obligations regarding renting homes or apartments in writing.

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Sublease Agreement: Utilized when a tenant would like to re-rent a property to what is called a “sub-tenant”.

Download: PDF, Word (.docx)

Required Disclosures

1.) Bedbugs (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-1005): Colorado forbids landlords from renting bedbug-infested dwellings and, in fact, requires a disclosure of the last inspection and the results.

2.) Lead-Based Paint (42 U.S. Code § 4852d): The federal government requires a disclosure of any lead paint and/or lead paint hazards in a property being sold or rented; specifically for buildings completed before 1978.)

3.) Radon (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-803): Tenants have “the right to be informed” of a property’s radon testing, status, and concentration accordingly

When is Rent Late?

Grace period: Colorado does not designate a grace period; however, the state does not permit late fees for delinquent rent payments until seven calendar days from the due date (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-105).
Unpaid Rent: Landlords serve nonpaying tenants a 10-day notice to pay or quit notice, since this helps either avoid or support escalation (CO Rev Stat § 13-40-104).

Late Fees

Colorado allows late fees, but limits the amount to $50 or 5% of the past-due rent “whichever is greater” (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-105).

NSF Checks

Tenants are liable for the amount of the bounced check plus up to $20 in damages (CO Rev Stat § 13-21-109).

Security Deposit Maximum

Colorado’s security deposit law limits security deposits to no more than “the amount of two monthly rent payments” (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-102.5).

Security Deposit Return

Returning to Tenant: Generally, in most cases, landlords have a security deposit deadline “within one month” of tenancy’s termination; however, a lease may extend this for up to 60 days. (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-103).

Itemized List: Landlords have the right to retain part or all of the security provided:

  • They have “actual cause,” whereas the damages are not simple wear and tear.
  • They return the remaining security amount as well as “the exact reasons for retention” in writing (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-103).

Landlord’s Entry

Habitability Remedial Entry: Landlords responding to a warranty of habitability notice issue a 24-hour entry notice for habitability remedial entry in order to cure any condition that “materially interferes with the tenant’s life, health, or safety” (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-503).
Emergency Entry: Colorado explicitly allows immediate entry in cases of emergency or imminent danger (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-503).

Absence

Landlords assume the tenant is absent and the premises vacant if:
  • There is no contact with the tenant for 30 days, with no explanation
  • There is no response to a landlord’s 15-day notice explicitly requiring contact before expiration (CO Rev Stat § 38-20-116).

Repair and Deduct

The tenant can withhold rent to repair if the premises violates the warranty of habitability, gives at least ten days’ notice they will hire a professional, the landlord does not answer or remedy the problem within the notice time, and the hired professional is not related to the tenant (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-507(1)(c)(I)).

Tenant Breaking a Lease (Early)

Duty to Mitigate: Colorado does not explicitly state a landlord’s duty to minimize losses arising from problem tenants; however, the courts recognize this duty as common law (Schneiker v. Gordon, 732 P. 2d 603).

Domestic Violence: A tenant in Colorado can terminate the lease because of domestic violence or abuse, as long as they provide a written statement from a medical or law enforcement professional (or similar documents such as a protection order) that is less than sixty days old, however the landlord can charge one month’s rent and keep the security deposit until it is paid (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-402).

Active Military: Service members terminate their lease, giving 30 days notice “after the first date on which the next rental payment is due,” when called to duty or transferred (50 U.S. Code § 3955).

Landlord’s Noncompliance: Tenants can terminate the lease if:

  • A necessary repair violates the warranty of habitability
  • They have issued a 10-day notice informing the landlord to remedy the repair
  • The landlord does not conduct the repair or attempt a satisfactory resolution within 10 days of receiving the notice (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-507.

Landlord’s Harassment: Tenants can terminate the lease by following appropriate Colorado procedures for doing so whenever the landlord engages in retaliation, violates the warranty of habitability or tenancy privacy rights, or attempts a forced eviction, but each case requires separate action; for example, in a forced eviction, the tenant must leave after they terminate (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-509).

Is an Oral Lease enforceable?

Oral agreements are only enforceable if their term is, specifically, one year or less (CO Rev Stat § 38-10-108).

Renewing a Lease

Colorado does not govern the rent charged when renewing a lease and, furthermore, does not allow its counties the “imposition of rent control on private residential housing units” (CO Rev Stat § 38-12-301).

Unclaimed Property

Landlords are not explicitly responsible for storing property after a successful eviction.
In cases of an abandoned tenant property, landlords may sell/dispose of the property after:
  • Not receiving rent for 30 days
  • Being unable to contact the tenant for thirty days
  • Has issued a notice of the property disposal, which remained unanswered for 15 days after its service (CO Rev Stat § 38-20-116).

Landlord-Tenant Laws (Statutes)

Colorado’s government website provides an extensive booklet on Landlord/Tenant Rights, citing legal statutes accordingly.