Colorado Rental Application

What information should landlords collect?

A Colorado rental application gives landlords their first chance to get to know potential renters, so collecting the right details is non-negotiable when finding the right tenant.

All rental application forms should include:

• Personal information: Names of applicants, co-applicants, co-signers, and their contact info, Social Security numbers, and smoking statuses
• Employment status and income: Current and previous employment, amount of income
• References: Current and previous landlords, employers
• Rental history: Current and previous addresses
• Pets: Number, type, size, breed, whether any of them qualify as an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) or service animal
• Vehicle information: Number, make, and model of any vehicles the tenant will park on-site

TurboTenant’s free application templates help Colorado landlords streamline the process of finding a new tenant, ensuring that each application covers key questions and complies with federal and state laws.

Pre-Screener

As a first step in the application process, Colorado landlords often use a pre-screener after a renter shows interest in a listing. These short questionnaires help landlords quickly determine whether a renter meets their essential criteria before moving forward with a full application.

Standard residential pre-screeners typically ask for information like:

• Contact info,
• Employment status,
• Income,
• Self-reported credit score,
• Desired move-in date,
• Number of people the applicant will live with,
• Pets,
• Smoking status,
• And more.

Remember: While pre-screeners help landlords manage leads efficiently, don’t consider them a substitute for a full online application or comprehensive background check.

Federal Application Laws

Several federal laws govern the tenant screening process nationwide. These laws aim to prevent discrimination and promote equal access to housing for all.

Fair Housing Act (FHA): This federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on certain protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. Under it, landlords cannot ask questions about protected characteristics in a rental application, like, “Are you a Christian?”

The FHA applies to landlords, property managers, and their employees, and also bans discriminatory advertising, denial of housing, and unequal rental terms (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): This law protects applicants from discrimination based on protected classes similar to the FHA, including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, and age. It also prohibits discrimination if any part of the applicant’s income comes from a public assistance program or if they have exercised a right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act in good faith (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. As such, landlords cannot reject an application solely because the applicant has a disability and must be willing to make reasonable accommodations to policies or practices. Complying with the ADA can include allowing a service animal in a pet-free unit or installing a wheelchair ramp for a tenant who needs it (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): This law governs how landlords use credit reports in rental applications by requiring landlords to obtain an applicant’s consent before running a credit check and to notify the applicant if they deny housing based on information found in the background or credit check (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This act prohibits racial discrimination in all property transactions, including the rental and leasing of property. Landlords must treat all applicants equally, regardless of race, throughout the application and leasing process (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Colorado Application Laws

In addition to federal laws, Colorado enforces its own regulations that guide what landlords can ask on an application and how they can use that information when selecting tenants.

One key law is the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which mirrors the federal Fair Housing Act but expands protections by including additional protected classes (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-34-601).

Source of income: Colorado law limits a landlord’s ability to deny an applicant based on their source of income. Landlords generally cannot refuse to rent to someone solely because they use housing vouchers or other forms of government assistance (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-34-502).

Criminal history: State law allows landlords to consider an applicant’s criminal history when making rental decisions. However, they may not consider arrests that did not result in a conviction or convictions that occurred more than 5 years before the application date. Exceptions include convictions related to methamphetamine offenses, offenses requiring sex offender registration, homicide, and stalking (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-904).

Sexual orientation and gender identity: Colorado law specifically prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Landlords cannot deny an application or treat applicants differently based on these characteristics (House Bill 22-1102).

Portable tenant screening report: Colorado law requires landlords to accept portable tenant screening reports (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-904).

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

If you allow pets in your rental, include a dedicated section on the application to collect important details about the tenant’s animal(s).

Colorado landlords should remember they cannot discriminate against applicants with an emotional support animal (ESA) or service animal. Tenants, on the other hand, remain responsible for any damage caused by their ESA or service animal.

Pet information: Landlords should ask for the number, type, breed, and size of pets, as well as whether any qualify as ESAs or service animals.

Fair Housing Act: Under the FHA, landlords cannot charge pet fees for ESAs or service animals, including deposits or pet rent. They also cannot deny housing based on the animal’s type, breed, size, or weight, even if the animal would disqualify them without service status.

Denial Process

Landlords must ensure that all denials are lawful and applied consistently to all applicants. Each decision should rely on a legally permissible reason, such as insufficient income, poor credit history, recent evictions, relevant criminal history, or false or incomplete information in a Colorado application.

Denial notice: As of 2026, if a landlord denies an application, the Colorado Rental Application Fairness Act requires a good-faith effort to notify the applicant within 20 days (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-904).

Credit/Background denials: If a landlord denies housing based on the results of a credit or background check, they must provide an adverse action notice as required by the FCRA (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).

The notice should specify:

• The name of the agency that conducted the check,
• Contact information for the reporting agency, and
• A reminder of the applicant’s right to dispute any inaccuracies.

Document storage: Colorado does not explicitly require landlords to store denied applications or screening reports. However, as a best practice, many landlords retain these documents for up to 2 years to help support their decisions and defend against potential legal disputes.