Maintenance
Denver Rental Turnover Checklist: Move-Out to Move-In Without Losing a Month
By Denver Rental Managers · Updated October 26, 2026 · 8 min read
Summary
A fast Denver turnover starts before the tenant leaves: schedule the move-out inspection, line up vendors, and start marketing 30 days out. After move-out, document everything with photos, return the deposit with an itemized statement within 30 days (or up to 60 if the lease says so), and finish make-ready in about a week. New Colorado rules from January 2026 limit charges for carpet and paint and let tenants demand your documentation.
Key takeaways
- Start 30–45 days before move-out: confirm the date, schedule inspection, book vendors and begin marketing.
- Colorado requires the deposit back within 30 days, or up to 60 if the lease allows, with an itemized list of deductions.
- Under HB25-1249 (Jan 1, 2026), you can't charge for normal wear and tear, and carpet and paint charges are limited.
- Tenants can request your photos, receipts and estimates, which you must provide within 14 days.
- Every new lease needs the required disclosures, including the radon notice and, in Denver, the city's tenant rights notice.
- Each vacant week costs about a quarter of a month's rent, so speed is the biggest savings in any turnover.
Why turnover is where owners lose money
The biggest cost of a turnover isn't paint. It's the empty weeks. On a $2,400 home, every week of vacancy costs about $550 in rent, plus utilities you're now paying. A turnover that takes six weeks instead of two costs more than most repairs.
The fix is planning. Most of the work below can start before your tenant hands back the keys.
30–45 days before move-out
- Confirm the move-out date in writing. Check the lease for the notice requirement and whether the tenant is renewing.
- Schedule a pre-move-out walkthrough. A quick look two to four weeks ahead shows what needs repair and lets the tenant fix their own damage, which keeps deposit disputes down.
- Book vendors now. Painters, cleaners and carpet cleaners book out, especially in late spring and summer.
- Start marketing. Once the tenant has given notice, you can photograph and list the home and schedule showings. Colorado has no statewide entry-notice statute, so follow your lease's entry clause, and give reasonable notice even if the lease is silent. The goal is a signed lease before the home is empty.
- Send move-out instructions. A one-page list of cleaning expectations, key return and forwarding address. Clear expectations prevent most deposit fights.
Move-out day: document everything
Do the move-out inspection as close to move-out as possible, ideally with the tenant present. Colorado now lets either party request a walk-through.
- Photograph and video every room, inside every appliance, every wall and floor, using the same angles as the move-in report.
- Note meter readings and collect all keys, fobs, garage openers and mailbox keys.
- Compare against the move-in inspection, line by line.
Your photos are your evidence. Since January 1, 2026, a tenant can ask for your documentation, including photos, inspection forms, invoices and estimates, and you must provide it within 14 days.
The security deposit: Colorado's rules
Colorado's deposit law changed on January 1, 2026 (HB25-1249). The key rules:
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Deadline | Return the deposit within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders the home. The lease can extend this to no more than 60 days. |
| Itemized statement | Any deduction must be listed with the reason. |
| Normal wear and tear | Can't be deducted. Minor scuffs, faded paint and worn carpet from normal use are your cost. |
| Carpet | Only chargeable if substantially and irreparably damaged, and the 10-year rule limits charges on older carpet. |
| Paint | The same "substantially damaged" test applies to repainting. |
| Missing the deadline | You lose the right to withhold anything. Bad-faith withholding can cost three times the amount wrongly withheld. |
Our Colorado security deposit guide covers the details. The short version: document well, deduct only real damage beyond normal wear, and never miss the deadline.
Make-ready: what to do, in order
Work from the most important item down. Renters notice clean and functional first.
- Safety and systems. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, furnace filter, water heater, GFCI outlets, door locks. Re-key or change locks between tenants.
- Repairs. Anything broken, leaking or not working, including appliances, faucets, toilets, windows, blinds and screens.
- Paint. Touch up or repaint scuffed walls. Using one standard color across your rentals makes touch-ups invisible.
- Floors. Professionally clean carpet, or replace it if it's at the end of its life. Hard surfaces get a deep clean.
- Deep clean. Kitchen, baths, inside appliances, windows, baseboards, light fixtures.
- Exterior and curb appeal. Mow or clear snow, sweep entries, replace burned-out bulbs, fix the mailbox.
Planning ranges
Costs vary a lot with size, condition and season. Get quotes, but these ranges help you budget:
| Item | Typical planning range for a 3-bed home |
|---|---|
| Professional move-out clean | A few hundred dollars |
| Carpet cleaning | A few hundred dollars |
| Interior touch-up paint | A few hundred to about $1,000 |
| Full interior repaint | Several thousand dollars |
| Re-key | Under $200 for a locksmith; less if you do it yourself |
Plan for at least a few hundred dollars even on a clean turnover, and set aside reserves for larger items like carpet or appliances near end of life.
Before the new tenant moves in
Denver and Colorado require specific steps and documents with every new lease. Missing them creates legal risk later.
- Denver rental license. Make sure your license is current. It lasts four years and doesn't transfer to a new owner. See our Denver rental license guide.
- Denver's tenant rights notice. Give the City's Tenant Rights and Resources notice with the signed lease.
- Habitability notice. Since January 1, 2025, Colorado leases must include a notice of the tenant's habitability rights and how to report repair problems.
- Radon. Give every prospective tenant the state's radon warning, any known test results and mitigation history, and the state radon brochure.
- Lead paint. For homes built before 1978, give the federal lead disclosure and the EPA pamphlet.
- Move-in inspection. Photograph everything again, and have the tenant sign the move-in report.
- Utilities and keys. Set up utility transfers, test every key and opener, and confirm the tenant's renters insurance if your lease requires it.
Speed tips that save weeks
- Overlap tasks. Clean and paint can often happen the same week if you schedule painters first.
- Have a go-to vendor list. Turnover delays usually come from finding vendors, not doing the work.
- Approve repairs fast. Set a dollar limit you're comfortable with so routine items don't wait on you.
- Re-list the moment it's ready. Better still, pre-lease before move-out.
- Renew good tenants. The cheapest turnover is the one that doesn't happen. A fair renewal offer 60–90 days before lease end usually beats chasing top-of-market rent.
The bottom line
Good turnovers are boring: planned early, documented carefully and finished in about a week. That protects your deposit decisions under Colorado's stricter 2026 rules and keeps your rental earning.
How to get help
A good manager starts the turnover well before lease end, pre-markets the home, documents move-out with time-stamped photos and is upfront about how vendor work is billed. Ask how long their recent turnovers took and whether they mark up make-ready invoices.
We'll match you with vetted, licensed Denver managers. Free, no obligation. See how it works or get matched free.
Sources
This guide is general information for Colorado landlords, not legal advice. Laws change; confirm current requirements with the Colorado Division of Real Estate or a licensed attorney before acting.
