Sample Report
A real-world example: a 12-month Colorado lease built from an off-the-shelf online form, run against 30 current Colorado rules. Illustrative example, not a legal opinion.
Key Facts Snapshot
Everything the engine pulled off the lease before it ran a single rule. This is the page landlords check first.
| Document | |
|---|---|
| Document reviewed | Residential Lease Agreement — 11 pages, 24 numbered clauses |
| Source | Off-the-shelf residential form purchased from an online legal-forms site |
| Property type | 2 bed / 1 bath single-family rental, Arapahoe County, CO |
| Rules checked | 30 Colorado landlord-tenant rules |
| Term & rent | |
| Lease term | 12 months, fixed — March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 |
| Monthly base rent | $1,895.00, due on the 1st |
| Rent increase clause | Landlord may increase rent at any time on 30 days’ written notice |
| Renewal | Auto-renews month-to-month unless either party gives notice |
| Deposits & fees | |
| Security deposit | $1,895.00 (one month’s rent), full amount due at signing |
| Deposit installment option | Not offered |
| Deposit return window | 45 days after surrender |
| Pet policy | One pet allowed — $400 non-refundable pet fee plus $35/month pet rent |
| Late fee | $75 flat, assessed the day after rent is due |
| Grace period | None |
| Other recurring fees | $50/month administrative fee; $12.95 online payment convenience fee |
| Fee characterization | All fees, deposits and charges are “deemed additional rent” |
| Utilities & maintenance | |
| Utilities | Tenant pays water, sewer and trash, billed back through a third-party biller plus a $9.50/month service fee |
| Condition of premises | Tenant accepts the premises “AS-IS” and waives claims as to condition |
| Repair requests | Written notice to landlord; no stated response time |
| Termination & disputes | |
| Landlord notice to terminate or not renew | 21 days |
| Tenant notice to vacate | 30 days |
| Jury trial waiver | Present (clause 22) |
| Attorney fees | Tenant pays landlord’s attorney fees; no reciprocal provision |
| Governing law | Colorado |
Compliance Findings
Jury Trial Waiver
High riskClause 22 waives the tenant’s right to a trial by jury. Colorado added jury-trial waivers to the list of prohibited residential lease provisions under HB 23-1095 (C.R.S. § 38-12-801).
Why it matters:
The statute makes a prohibited provision void and unenforceable, and a tenant who has to litigate the point may be able to recover fees and damages. It is one of the most common holdovers in national form leases.
“As-Is” Acceptance of the Premises
High riskClause 9 has the tenant accept the property “AS-IS” and waive claims about its condition. Colorado’s warranty of habitability cannot be waived or modified by lease (C.R.S. § 38-12-503(5), as amended by SB 24-094).
Why it matters:
This is standard language in generic forms sold nationally, but in Colorado it does not do what it appears to do — and having it in the lease can undercut your position if habitability is ever disputed.
All Fees “Deemed Additional Rent”
High riskClause 6 treats the administrative fee, pet fee, convenience fee and utility charges as rent. Colorado prohibits characterizing non-rent charges as rent (C.R.S. § 38-12-801).
Why it matters:
This is the clause landlords are most surprised by. Rolling fees into rent means a disputed $50 fee becomes nonpayment of rent — which is exactly the posture a court will scrutinize, and the reason the legislature addressed it.
Late Fee Timing
Medium riskThe $75 amount is within Colorado’s cap (the greater of $50 or 5% of monthly rent — here $94.75). The timing is the problem: C.R.S. § 38-12-105 does not allow a late fee until rent is at least seven calendar days late, and this lease charges it on day two.
Why it matters:
A correct amount charged on the wrong day is still an improper fee. This one is worth calling out because most landlords assume the dollar figure is the only thing regulated.
Non-Refundable Pet Fee
Medium riskThe $400 pet fee is non-refundable. C.R.S. § 38-12-106 caps a pet deposit at $300 and requires it to be refundable. The $35/month pet rent is within the separate monthly limit.
Why it matters:
Renaming a deposit a “fee” does not change how it is treated. The monthly pet rent in this lease is fine — the up-front charge is the piece that needs to change.
Short Notice of Non-Renewal
Medium riskClause 19 lets the landlord end or decline to renew on 21 days’ notice. For a 12-month tenancy Colorado requires a substantially longer notice period (C.R.S. § 13-40-107; § 38-12-1303, HB 24-1098).
Why it matters:
A short notice clause tends to surface at the worst possible time — when you are actually trying to regain possession and the notice you served is the thing that gets challenged.
One-Sided Attorney Fees
Medium riskClause 23 requires the tenant to pay the landlord’s attorney fees with no reciprocal right. One-way fee-shifting against the tenant is among the provisions restricted by C.R.S. § 38-12-801.
Why it matters:
A reciprocal fee clause is enforceable and still protects you when you prevail. The one-sided version risks the whole provision.
Administrative and Payment Fees
Medium riskThe $50 monthly administrative fee and the $12.95 online payment fee are flagged as advisory. HB 25-1090 (C.R.S. § 6-1-737) restricts fees not tied to an actual service and requires at least one no-cost payment method, effective January 1, 2026.
Why it matters:
Advisory rather than a violation because this one turns on how the fee is documented. Flagged now so you can decide before it is tested.
No Deposit Installment Option
Medium riskClause 4 requires the full deposit at signing with no alternative. HB25-1249 gives a tenant who asks the right to pay the deposit in substantially equal installments, no more than one a month, over at least six months — and bars eviction over a missed installment.
Why it matters:
The cap gets the attention, but this is the part with no mechanism in most stock forms. The lease needs language for it, and your move-in process needs an answer when a tenant asks.
Security Deposit Amount
Low riskThe deposit equals one month’s rent — at the cap set by HB25-1249, effective January 1, 2026, for leases signed or renewed on or after that date. The 45-day return window is inside the statutory maximum.
Why it matters:
Confirmed compliant, and worth confirming: under the prior two-month cap this same clause could have been written higher. Included so you can see what a clean result looks like, not only the flagged items.
Recommended Lease — Sample Redlines
This is the differentiator: not just a flag, a corrected clause you can use.
Clause 22 — Jury Trial Waiver
Your original clause
Tenant hereby waives any right to a trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim arising out of or in any way connected with this Lease.
Recommended replacement
(Clause struck. Colorado prohibits jury-trial waivers in residential leases under C.R.S. § 38-12-801.)
Removing it is cleaner than leaving an unenforceable provision in the document, where it invites a challenge to the lease as a whole.
Clause 9 — Condition of Premises
Your original clause
Tenant accepts the Premises AS-IS, in its present condition, and waives any and all claims against Landlord regarding the condition of the Premises.
Recommended replacement
Tenant has inspected the Premises and accepts its present condition, except that nothing in this Lease waives or modifies Landlord’s obligations under Colorado’s warranty of habitability, C.R.S. § 38-12-501 et seq.
Keeps the move-in acknowledgment you actually want while removing the waiver Colorado does not permit.
Clause 6 — Additional Rent
Your original clause
All fees, charges, deposits and utility amounts payable under this Lease shall be deemed additional rent and collectible as rent.
Recommended replacement
Rent means the monthly base rent stated in Clause 3. Fees, deposits and utility charges are separate obligations, are itemized separately, and are not rent.
Separating fees from rent keeps a fee dispute from becoming a nonpayment-of-rent dispute, and aligns the lease with C.R.S. § 38-12-801.
Clause 12 — Late Fee
Your original clause
A late fee of $75.00 shall be assessed if rent is not received by the 1st of the month, and shall accrue daily thereafter.
Recommended replacement
If rent is not received within seven (7) calendar days after the due date, a one-time late fee of $75.00 applies. The late fee does not accrue daily and is not grounds by itself for termination or eviction.
Keeps the same dollar amount — it is already within the cap — and fixes the timing, the daily accrual, and the eviction exposure under C.R.S. § 38-12-105.
Clause 15 — Pets
Your original clause
A non-refundable pet fee of $400.00 is due at signing, plus pet rent of $35.00 per month.
Recommended replacement
A refundable pet deposit of $300.00 is due at signing and is accounted for with the security deposit at move-out. Pet rent of $35.00 per month applies.
Brings the up-front charge within the $300 refundable limit in C.R.S. § 38-12-106. The monthly pet rent is unchanged because it is already compliant.
Legal Opinion Available
If your situation needs a legal opinion on your original lease or the recommended version, we connect you to a licensed attorney in the LeaseCheck Attorney Network.
LeaseCheck gives you our compliance read and recommended lease, not legal advice.
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