Colorado rent increase law

You may raise the rent no more than once in any twelve-month period of the tenant's consecutive occupancy, whatever the length or type of tenancy and whether or not there is a written agreement. Where there is no written agreement, a rent increase needs at least 60 days' written notice.

C.R.S. § 38-12-702(1) C.R.S. § 38-12-701(2)(a)

• For a tenancy with no written agreement, you may not serve a notice to end the tenancy mainly to raise the rent in a way that avoids the 60-day rule. C.R.S. § 38-12-701(2)(b)
• Part 7 sets no notice period for an increase when there is a written agreement; the lease terms govern. C.R.S. § 38-12-701 C.R.S. § 38-12-702
• You may not raise rent in a discriminatory, retaliatory or unconscionable way to get around the for-cause eviction law, and raising rent in response to a protected complaint or repair request is prohibited retaliation. C.R.S. § 38-12-1307 C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)(b)(I) See Retaliation on the Colorado page
• Counties and cities may not control rent on private residential property. C.R.S. § 38-12-301(1) See Rent control and local rules on the Colorado page
• Before preparing an increase letter, record whether the tenancy has a written agreement, the current rent, the date of the last increase and the proposed start date. Identify the property and tenants, show the old and new rent and the dollar difference, and explain how to ask questions or discuss a renewal. Check the applicable lease terms, notice period and twelve-month limit before delivery. Keep the letter, delivery record and any response together, and update the payment schedule only for the properly established effective date. A disagreement about the proposed rent does not by itself resolve the separate renewal or possession rules. C.R.S. § 38-12-702(1) C.R.S. § 38-12-701(2)(a) C.R.S. § 38-12-1307

No county or city may adopt an ordinance that controls rent on private residential property. Voluntary agreements with a property owner or permit applicant to limit rent, and deed restrictions placed under such an agreement, are allowed.

C.R.S. § 38-12-301(1), (2)

• The warranty of habitability law is a matter of statewide concern, and a local rule that conflicts with it is unenforceable. C.R.S. § 38-12-501(1)
• The attorney general, or a county or city, may ask the district court to appoint a receiver for multifamily property kept in a pattern of neglect. C.R.S. § 38-12-513(1), (2)
• Cities and counties may set carbon monoxide alarm locations in their building codes. C.R.S. § 38-45-103(2)

You may not retaliate against a tenant for a good faith complaint about habitability to you, a nonprofit or a government agency, for organizing or joining a tenants' association, or for using habitability remedies. Retaliation includes raising rent, cutting services, ending or not renewing the tenancy, threatening or filing an eviction, harassment, and charging fees.

C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1)

• The tenant need only show that the protected activity was a motivating factor, not the sole reason. C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1.7)
• A retaliating landlord owes up to the greater of three months' rent or three times the tenant's actual damages, plus attorney fees and costs, and the tenant may end the lease. Retaliation is also a defense to eviction. C.R.S. § 38-12-509(1.5), (2)
• You may not retaliate against a victim-survivor for changing locks or taking reasonable safety measures, or against a tenant for asserting rights on immigration status. C.R.S. § 38-12-402(7)(a) C.R.S. § 38-12-1203(1)(c)
• Replacing a broken appliance with a different model of substantially the same features is presumed not retaliatory. C.R.S. § 38-12-509(3)