What income do landlords require in Colorado?
Updated: Sep 26
If a Colorado landlord uses your income to screen your rental application, there is a legal limit on how much income they can require.
For most renters, a landlord cannot require annual income greater than 200% of the annual rent.
Put more simply: the maximum income requirement is generally 2x the monthly rent.
So if an apartment costs $2,000 a month, a landlord generally cannot require you to earn more than $4,000 a month, or $48,000 a year, to meet its income requirement.
The rules are different if you use a housing subsidy.
Here’s how Colorado’s income requirements work.
What is the income requirement for renting in Colorado?
Colorado doesn’t require every renter to earn a particular amount of money.
Instead, state law limits the income threshold a landlord can set if the landlord chooses to use financial information as part of its rental criteria.
For a prospective renter who isn’t using a housing subsidy, a landlord can ask whether the renter’s annual income is at least 200% of the annual rent.
The landlord cannot require annual income greater than that amount.
Here’s what that looks like:
Monthly rent | Maximum income requirement |
$1,200 | $2,400/month or $28,800/year |
$1,500 | $3,000/month or $36,000/year |
$2,000 | $4,000/month or $48,000/year |
$2,500 | $5,000/month or $60,000/year |
$3,000 | $6,000/month or $72,000/year |
So when people talk about Colorado’s 2x rent rule, this is what they mean.
Can a landlord require 3x the rent in Colorado?
Generally, no.
If a Colorado landlord uses financial information to screen a renter who isn’t using a housing subsidy, it cannot require annual income greater than 200% of annual rent.
That means a standard requirement to earn three times the rent would exceed Colorado’s limit.
For example, imagine an apartment rents for $1,800 per month.
Three times the monthly rent would be $5,400 per month, or $64,800 per year.
Colorado’s 2x limit would instead put the maximum income requirement at $3,600 per month, or $43,200 per year.
There are exceptions for certain housing where income information is required to determine eligibility for a government, quasi-government or nonprofit housing program.
Does earning 2x the rent mean you’ll be approved?
No.
The 2x rule is a limit on the income requirement, not a guarantee that you’ll qualify for the home.
A landlord can still apply other lawful rental criteria.
Depending on the application and screening process, that could include information such as rental history, credit information or other screening information the landlord is legally permitted to consider.
So there are two separate questions:
Do you meet the property’s income requirement?
and
Do you meet the property’s overall rental criteria?
Meeting the first doesn’t automatically mean meeting the second.
How does the income requirement work with a housing subsidy?
Colorado provides different protections for renters who use housing subsidies, such as housing vouchers.
If you use a housing subsidy and the landlord considers financial information, the income calculation must be based on the portion of the rent you are responsible for paying, rather than the property’s full rent.
For example:
The apartment’s total rent is $1,600 per month.
Your housing subsidy pays $1,100.
You are responsible for $500 per month.
Your portion of the annual rent is:
$500 × 12 = $6,000
Two times that amount is:
$6,000 × 2 = $12,000
So the landlord cannot require annual income greater than $12,000 based on your $500 monthly portion of the rent.
It would not be appropriate to calculate the income requirement using the full $1,600 rent when the renter is responsible for only $500.
What about credit scores for renters with housing subsidies?
Colorado gives renters using housing subsidies additional protections.
When a landlord uses financial information to consider an application from a renter using a housing subsidy, the landlord generally cannot consider or ask about:
The renter’s credit score
An adverse credit event
The renter’s lack of a credit score
There is an exception when federal law requires the landlord to consider a credit score or lack of credit score.
Colorado law defines an adverse credit event to include events that can appear on a consumer credit report and might negatively affect someone’s credit score, including past-due delinquent rent payments and collections.
These protections are separate from the 2x income calculation, but they’re important when understanding how financial screening works for renters using subsidies.
Can a landlord ask for proof of income in Colorado?
Yes.
Colorado’s law doesn’t prohibit landlords from verifying income.
The important distinction is between verifying your income and setting the income threshold you have to meet.
A landlord can ask for information necessary to establish whether you meet its lawful income criterion.
The 2x rule limits how high that income criterion can be.
How can rental income be verified?
How income is verified can vary depending on the application and screening process.
A renter might be asked to provide or authorize access to information that establishes income.
The important thing to check is whether the information accurately reflects your income and whether the landlord’s stated income requirement complies with Colorado law.
If you’re using income other than traditional employment income, ask the housing provider how it wants that income documented rather than assuming only a pay stub will count.
Are there exceptions to Colorado’s 2x income rule?
Yes.
Colorado law includes an exception for certain landlords that receive government, quasi-government or nonprofit funding when that funding requires the landlord to determine whether a renter meets an income requirement.
That matters for some income-restricted or affordable housing.
These properties may need to collect and evaluate financial information to determine whether an applicant is eligible for the housing program itself.
So the simplest version of the rule is:
For an ordinary rental application, if a Colorado landlord uses financial information as a screening criterion, it generally cannot require a renter to earn more than 2x the rent.
Specific subsidized or income-restricted housing can involve additional rules.
What should you do if a listing requires 3x the rent?
First, check exactly what the listing says.
If a Colorado rental listing says applicants must earn three times the rent, you can ask the landlord or property manager to clarify the requirement.
For example:
“Your listing says applicants need income equal to three times the monthly rent. Can you confirm the income requirement for this property under Colorado’s rental application rules?”
It’s also useful to keep a copy of the requirement you saw, such as a screenshot of the listing or written rental criteria.
An outdated listing doesn’t necessarily tell you how the landlord will ultimately process your application, so getting the actual screening criteria in writing can help establish what requirement is being applied.
What if you’re applying with another person?
Colorado’s law sets the maximum income requirement, but the practical question for a joint application is how the housing provider calculates the applicants’ income.
If you’re applying with a partner, roommate or another co-applicant, ask whether the property evaluates combined household income or applies its criteria another way.
Don’t assume how a particular housing provider will combine applicants’ income.
What remains the same is the legal limit on the income criterion the landlord can impose.
How does income work in a portable tenant screening report?
Colorado renters can provide a qualifying portable tenant screening report, or PTSR, when applying for housing.
A Colorado PTSR generally includes employment and income verification along with other required screening information.
Colorado generally requires landlords to accept a qualifying PTSR, subject to a statutory exception. A landlord can require the report to have been completed within the previous 30 days.
When a landlord is required to accept the PTSR, it cannot charge the renter an application fee or a fee to access or use the report.
There is also an important rule for renters using housing subsidies.
Since January 1, 2026, a qualifying PTSR for a renter using a housing subsidy does not have to include a credit history report, credit score or adverse credit event.
Acceptance of a PTSR isn’t the same as approval of the rental application. A landlord can still apply its lawful rental criteria.
How to check a property’s income requirement before applying
Before paying an application fee or submitting your information, check the property’s written rental criteria.
Look for the income requirement and calculate it against the rent.
For most renters:
Monthly rent × 2 = maximum monthly income requirement
Or:
Annual rent × 2 = maximum annual income requirement
If you’re using a housing subsidy, make sure the calculation is based on the portion of rent you’re personally responsible for paying.
If the requirement isn’t clear, ask before applying.
In short: Colorado’s rental income requirement
Colorado doesn’t require renters to earn 2x the rent.
Instead, 2x rent is generally the maximum income threshold a landlord can require when it uses financial information to screen an applicant.
For a $1,500 monthly rental, that means the landlord generally cannot require more than $3,000 in monthly income.
For renters using housing subsidies, the calculation is based on the portion of rent the renter is responsible for paying. Those renters also have additional protections around credit scores and adverse credit events.
Meeting the income requirement doesn’t guarantee approval. It simply means Colorado law puts a ceiling on how high that particular screening requirement can be.
Understand your screening information before you apply
Rentell helps Colorado renters create a portable tenant screening report they can review and share with housing providers.
Your report includes income verification alongside the other information required for a qualifying Colorado PTSR, so you can see your screening information before you share it.
