How to Rent Out Your House in Denver: 12 Steps From License to First Rent Check

Before you start: is renting the right move?

Renting works best when the monthly rent covers your mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA dues and a reserve for repairs and vacancy. Run your numbers through our rental property calculator before you commit. If you are renting because you moved, not because you planned to invest, read our accidental landlord guide.

The 12 steps

1. Check your mortgage, HOA and insurance

Many owner-occupied mortgages require you to live in the home for a period, often a year, before renting it. Read your HOA covenants for leasing restrictions, minimum lease terms or rental caps, which are common in Denver condos and master-planned communities. Switch your homeowner’s policy to a landlord (dwelling fire) policy before the tenant moves in.

2. Confirm the city and get the Denver rental license

Some “Denver” addresses are actually in Aurora, Lakewood or unincorporated county, and rules differ. Inside the City and County of Denver, every rental of 30 days or more needs a residential rental license: hire a qualified inspector, then apply within 90 days of the inspection. Fees are a $50 application fee plus a $50 license fee for a single unit. Details are in our Denver rental license guide.

3. Price it from real comps

Look at homes like yours that leased in the past 60 to 90 days, not just active listings. As a reference point, recent Denver medians run about $2,400 for a single-family home and $1,900 for a condo, but your block, condition and size matter more. Read the Denver rental market report or request a free rental analysis.

4. Make the home rent-ready

Fix safety items first: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, GFCIs, handrails, window locks, heat and hot water. Then paint where needed, deep clean, service the furnace, and replace worn carpet with durable flooring if you can.

5. Decide your policies

Set pets, smoking, lease length, utilities, yard care and parking rules in writing. Under HB23-1068, pet deposits are capped at $300 and pet rent at the greater of $35 or 1.5% of rent; see the pet rules.

6. Write your screening criteria

Colorado caps income requirements at 2x rent, limits credit and rental history to the past seven years, and requires landlords to accept a portable tenant screening report without charging an application fee for it. Write criteria before you list and apply them to everyone. See Colorado screening laws.

7. List it with one total price

Since January 1, 2026, HB25-1090 requires your advertised rent to include all mandatory fees as one number. Use bright, wide photos, a floor plan or 3D tour, and an accurate description. Syndicate to the major rental sites.

8. Show it efficiently

Respond to inquiries within hours, not days. Self-guided showing lockboxes plus scheduled open houses keep leasing moving without daily trips.

9. Screen and select

Verify income, landlord references, identity, credit and eviction history against your written criteria. Send written denial notices with reasons when you decline someone.

10. Sign a Colorado-compliant lease

Use a lease written for current Colorado law, with required disclosures such as lead-based paint for pre-1978 homes and radon. In Denver, give the tenant the city’s Tenant Rights and Resources document at signing. Late fees, if any, must be in the lease and within the 7-day and $50-or-5% limits.

11. Collect the deposit and document move-in

Colorado caps security deposits at two months’ rent. Do a detailed, time-stamped photo and video inspection report and have the tenant sign it. This is your evidence under the 2026 deposit rules.

12. Set up rent collection and maintenance

Offer a free online payment option, a clear process for repair requests, and a 24/7 emergency contact. Colorado’s habitability law sets response timelines for repairs, so decide who answers the phone at 2 a.m. before you need to.

How long does it take?

Steps overlap, so most owners go from decision to first rent check in two to six weeks.

Costs to budget before your first rent check

Keep a cash reserve as well. Many owners hold at least one month’s rent plus a repair cushion for the first year.

Mistakes first-time Denver landlords make

• Listing before the rental license is in place, then delaying move-in.
• Using an out-of-state lease template that ignores Colorado’s deposit, late-fee and screening rules.
• Requiring income of 3x rent, which has been illegal in Colorado since 2023.
• Advertising a base rent and adding mandatory fees later, which HB25-1090 now prohibits.
• Skipping the move-in photo report, then losing a deposit dispute.

How Denver Rental Managers handles this

We handle all 12 steps, from the rental license inspection to the first owner payout in your Rentvine portal, and we back the leasing work with a 21-day leasing guarantee. If you only want help getting the home leased, choose tenant placement; for ongoing management, see property management.