The 6 No-Fault Reasons Colorado Landlords Can Still Use to Not Renew

The renewal pillar covers the headline rule — most tenancies now need a qualifying reason and up to 90 days’ notice to not renew. This article is about what actually counts as qualifying. “We don’t want to renew” isn’t a reason under HB24-1098; these six are.

1. Demolition or conversion of the property

Tearing the building down, or converting it to non-residential use, qualifies. This has to be a real, intended action — not a stated intention that never follows through.

2. Substantial repairs or renovations

Work extensive enough that the unit genuinely can’t be occupied during it. A cosmetic refresh between tenants isn’t the same thing as a renovation that requires the unit to sit vacant.

3. Owner or family-member occupancy

The landlord or a family member intends to move into the unit. This ground generally comes with its own timeline expectation for actually following through on the move-in — using it as a pretext to non-renew and then re-listing the unit is exactly the kind of pattern this rule exists to prevent.

4. Withdrawing the unit from the rental market to sell it

If the owner is taking the property off the rental market specifically to sell, that’s a qualifying reason. It has to be a genuine withdrawal from the rental market, not a non-renewal followed by re-listing the same unit for rent.

5. The tenant refuses to sign a new lease on reasonable terms

If a landlord offers a renewal on reasonable terms and the tenant declines to sign, that’s a qualifying non-renewal — this is the ground that protects a landlord’s ability to actually update lease terms at renewal, not just roll the same lease forward indefinitely.

6. A history of nonpayment of rent

A documented pattern of late or missed rent payments can support a non-renewal decision. This is closer to a tenant-fault reason than the other five, and it’s the one most likely to face scrutiny if the documentation isn’t solid — a clean payment-history record matters here.

Before any of this applies: is the tenancy even covered?

These six reasons only matter for tenancies the for-cause law actually covers. Some tenancies — owner-occupied duplexes, short-term rentals, tenancies under 12 months — fall outside it entirely and don’t need to fit any of these categories. See Which Tenancies Are Exempt From Colorado’s For-Cause Renewal Law to check that first.

What doesn’t qualify

“We found a better tenant,” “we want to raise rent above what this tenant would accept,” or no stated reason at all are exactly what this law was written to stop. A non-renewal notice that doesn’t fit one of these six categories — or the tenancy-type exemptions covered separately — is the kind of notice likely to be challenged.

What to check before sending a non-renewal notice

• Does the actual reason for non-renewal fit one of these six categories, worded honestly?
• Is there documentation to support the reason (repair scope, sale listing, payment history) if it’s ever questioned?
• Does the notice period match the requirement for this reason and this tenancy?

The bottom line

Six reasons, each with its own documentation expectation — this is where a generic “30 days, any reason” non-renewal template runs into the most trouble. A Renewal Compliance Check reviews your non-renewal language and notice terms against the current rule.

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.