Colorado Lease Renewal Compliance: Rent Increases, Notice, and Non-Renewal Rules

A renewal usually means copying last year’s lease, updating the dates, and moving on. That habit is exactly how outdated renewal language survives — and renewal terms carry two of the rules most likely to have changed since your last tenant signed: how often rent can go up, and what it takes to decline a renewal.

Rent increases are limited to once every 12 months

Colorado generally limits rent increases to once every 12 months (C.R.S. § 38-12-702). If a renewal clause allows a mid-term increase, or the lease does not track when rent was last raised, that is worth fixing before it becomes a problem — both for compliance and for the tenant relationship.

Non-renewal now requires a reason — and longer notice, for many tenancies

Under HB24-1098 (effective April 2024), many non-renewals require a qualifying reason and notice of up to 90 days (C.R.S. § 38-12-1301 et seq., specifically § 38-12-1303 for the notice schedule). A clause that says “Landlord may decline to renew for any reason on 30 days’ written notice” is the kind of language that predates this rule and no longer covers every tenancy it’s applied to.

What to check before sending renewal paperwork

• Rent increase timing — has at least 12 months passed since the last increase?
• Non-renewal reason — if declining to renew, does the reason qualify under the current rule?
• Non-renewal notice window — is the notice period long enough for this tenancy?
• Carried-forward deposit — does the renewal correctly reference the existing deposit rather than treating it as new? (A $0.00 line on a renewal usually signals carry-forward, and should be labeled as such.)
• Updated fee schedule — does the renewal reflect current late-fee and other fee terms, not last year’s?

The bottom line

Renewal season is when outdated rent-increase and non-renewal language most often gets copied forward unchanged. Before you send the next renewal — or a non-renewal notice — a Renewal Compliance Check reads your renewal terms against the current rules and flags exactly what needs to change.

LeaseCheck for Landlords is an educational lease-compliance screening tool. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Colorado rental laws change; confirm specifics for your situation with a licensed attorney.