What Does a Property Manager Do? A Denver Landlord’s Complete Checklist

The short answer

A property manager is the operator of your rental. They find and keep good tenants, make sure rent arrives, keep the home in good repair, and keep you out of legal trouble, while sending you statements and payouts. Here is the complete list, grouped the way the work actually happens.

1. Pricing and marketing

• Analyze comparable rentals and set a rent that leases quickly without leaving money on the table.
• Prepare the home: rent-ready punch list, cleaning, photos and a 3D tour.
• Syndicate the listing to major rental sites with one total monthly price, as Colorado’s HB25-1090 requires.
• Answer inquiries and run showings.

2. Screening and leasing

• Publish written screening criteria and apply them consistently.
• Accept portable tenant screening reports and keep income requirements at or below 2x rent under Colorado screening law.
• Verify income, rental history and identity.
• Prepare a Colorado-compliant lease with required disclosures, and in Denver, provide the city’s Tenant Rights and Resources document.
• Collect the deposit (no more than two months’ rent) and complete a photo-documented move-in inspection.

3. Rent collection and accounting

• Collect rent online, with a free payment option so no processing fees are needed.
• Enforce late fees within Colorado’s limits: no fee until 7 days late, capped at the greater of $50 or 5% of past-due rent.
• Pay owners on a set schedule and provide monthly statements and a year-end 1099.
• Hold and account for security deposits properly.

4. Maintenance and repairs

• Run a 24/7 maintenance line and triage emergencies.
• Dispatch licensed, insured vendors and approve work within your limits.
• Meet Colorado’s warranty-of-habitability timelines. SB24-094, effective in 2024, set response and repair deadlines; Colorado law-firm summaries describe a 24-hour response requirement and remedy windows as short as 24 hours for conditions that threaten life, health or safety. Confirm current timelines with an attorney.
• Plan capital items such as roofs, water heaters and furnaces before they fail.

See our maintenance and inspections service.

5. Inspections

• Move-in and move-out inspections with photos.
• Periodic interior inspections to catch leaks, pests and lease violations early.
• Exterior drive-bys between visits.

6. Tenant relations, renewals and move-outs

• Handle tenant questions, HOA notices, noise complaints and lease violations.
• Review renewals about 90 days out and recommend rent changes within the once-per-12-months rule.
• Manage move-outs and return deposits within 30 days with an itemized statement, as required since HB25-1249.

7. Legal compliance and evictions

• Keep the Denver rental license current; see the license guide.
• Follow fair housing law and the for-cause eviction rules of HB24-1098.
• Serve compliant notices and coordinate with an eviction attorney when needed.

Who can legally manage property in Colorado?

In Colorado, managing rental property for others for compensation generally requires a real estate broker license through the Colorado Division of Real Estate, and brokers must handle tenant deposits and rents in trust accounts. Ask any manager for their license number and verify it on the DRE’s license lookup.

What a property manager doesn’t usually do

• Pay your mortgage, property taxes or HOA dues, unless agreed.
• Give tax or legal advice.
• Fund major repairs or renovations without your approval.
• Guarantee rent, unless a specific rent-protection product is included.

The landlord’s side of the checklist

Even with a manager, you decide on budget limits, approve large repairs, keep landlord insurance in force, and set goals for the property. A good manager reports clearly so you can make those decisions quickly.

A typical year for a managed Denver rental

How to evaluate a manager’s work

Look at four numbers: average days to lease, percentage of tenants who renew, average repair cost per home, and the share of rent collected on time. A manager who can’t report those numbers probably isn’t tracking them.

What to ask before you hire

1. Who answers maintenance calls after hours, and what is your emergency response time?
2. How do you price rentals, and how often do you adjust a listing that isn’t getting applications?
3. How do you screen, and can I see your written criteria?
4. What is your repair approval limit, and do you mark up vendor invoices?
5. How do you handle Colorado’s new deposit, screening and fee rules?
6. How do I see my statements, and when do I get paid?

Clear, specific answers to these questions tell you more about a manager than any marketing page.

How Denver Rental Managers handles this

Our full-service plan covers every item on this list for 8% of rent collected, with vendor invoices at cost and everything visible in your Rentvine owner portal. If you only want leasing, our tenant placement service handles marketing through move-in. Compare plans on our pricing page.