Colorado rental application fees: what you should actually pay

If you’ve rented in Colorado, you’ve probably paid an application fee more than once. Sometimes it’s forty dollars. Sometimes fifty. Sometimes more. And you rarely know what that fee actually covers.

Since Colorado updated its tenant screening law, you now have clearer rights around what you can be charged and when. You also have a way to reuse your screening information — which means fewer fees and fewer surprises.

Here’s what to expect, what’s allowed, and how to save money when you’re applying for your next home.

How Colorado rental application fees work

Colorado limits what a property manager can charge and when those charges must be the same for all applicants. The goal is fairness and transparency, something the law makes explicit by defining what counts as a rental application and how fees must be handled. 

Fees must be consistent

A property manager can’t charge one renter fifty dollars and another renter seventy dollars for the same unit. Everyone applying at the same time must pay the same fee. Colorado law spells this out so renters aren’t penalized based on timing or preference. 

Fees can’t be added when you provide a portable report

If you give a property manager a valid portable tenant screening report (PTSR), they can’t charge you an application fee. Colorado requires this, with a narrow exception explained below. 

What a rental application fee should actually cover

A rental application fee is meant to cover the cost of screening — things like your credit check, income verification, and background history.

But with a PTSR, that screening has already been done by a consumer reporting agency (CRA). That’s why, under Colorado law, a property manager can’t charge you again if you provide a valid report. 

A valid PTSR must include identity verification, employment and income verification, rental, credit, and criminal history checks if required by the property’s criteria. 

How portable tenant screening reports help you avoid extra fees

A PTSR lets you reuse your verified screening information for up to thirty days. Instead of paying for new screening every time you apply, you can share the same report with multiple property managers — at no cost to them and no extra cost to you.

Colorado requires property managers to accept a valid PTSR in most cases.

Acceptance of the report isn’t approval of your application. The property manager still uses their own criteria to make a decision. 

When a property manager must accept your PTSR

They must accept it if:

• It was completed within the last thirty days

• It comes directly from a CRA

• It includes all required information

• They can access it without a fee

• They typically collect more than one application fee at a time

When they don’t have to accept it

There’s one narrow exemption: If the property manager only takes one application fee at a time for the home and refunds that fee within twenty days when they decline to offer a lease, they don’t have to accept a PTSR. 

Most property managers collect multiple fees, so this exemption is rare.

People also ask: Are Colorado rental application fees refundable?

Are rental application fees refundable in Colorado?

Not usually. A fee is typically non-refundable unless the property manager falls under the “one-fee-at-a-time” exemption and doesn’t offer you the home, in which case they must refund the full fee within twenty days. 

Otherwise, fees aren’t refunded once screening begins.

How much can a rental application fee be in Colorado?

Colorado doesn’t set a specific dollar cap. Instead, the fee must reflect the actual cost of screening and must be the same for every applicant for that unit. This prevents markups and selective pricing.

Does a PTSR guarantee I won’t pay a fee?

If your PTSR is valid and you provide it upfront, Colorado law prohibits the property manager from charging an application fee or a fee to access the report, unless they fall under the narrow one-fee exemption. 

How to avoid unnecessary application fees

Here’s a straightforward way to keep your costs lower:

1. Ask about application fees before you apply

Most listings now include the required notice that you have the right to provide a PTSR. Colorado requires this notice to be easy to find. 

If the listing doesn’t mention it, ask.

2. Share your PTSR upfront

If you already have a report from a CRA, you can reuse it for up to thirty days. Sharing it before paying keeps you from being charged a new fee.

3. Confirm whether the property manager follows the one-fee rule

Some boutique or single-unit owners might fall under the exemption. It’s better to ask early so you understand whether a PTSR will replace the fee.

4. Keep an eye on timing

Because a PTSR must be less than thirty days old, make sure your report is recent enough before sending it.

How much should you expect to pay?

In short: With a valid PTSR: You shouldn’t pay an application fee in most cases and can apply multiple times. However without a PTSR: You’ll likely pay a one-off fee to each property manager that covers the property manager’s cost of screening, and it must match what other applicants pay. Under the one-fee-at-a-time exemption: You may still pay a fee, but it must be refunded if you’re not offered the home.

Colorado’s rules are designed to give renters more control and help reduce repeated screening costs — something Rentell is built to support.