How the Colorado rental application process works: A simple step-by-step guide for renters

If you’re renting in Colorado, the application process can feel dense and repetitive. Different homes. Different forms. Different fees. Renters often ask the same question: What actually happens when I apply for a place, and how do I avoid surprises?

Here’s a clear, step-by-step look at how the Colorado rental application process works, why screening matters, and how portable reports fit in.

The Colorado rental application process usually includes finding a place, submitting basic information, and going through screening so a property manager can review your credit, income, rental history, and background. Colorado law sets limits on application fees and gives renters the option to provide a valid portable screening report instead of paying for a new one. Property managers still make the final decision based on their criteria.

How the Colorado rental application process works (step-by-step)

1. You find a home and check the listing details

Listings in Colorado are required to include an advisement telling renters they can provide a portable tenant screening report (PTSR) instead of paying a new fee if the report meets the standards set in state law. This advisement must be easy to see, including on websites and rental ads. 

2. You submit initial information

Most applications start with your name, contact info, income details, and past addresses. This is the “application,” whether it’s online, on paper, or spoken. Colorado law defines rentals applications broadly, and a PTSR is considered part of a rental application. 

3. Screening happens

Screening is how property managers review your credit, rental history, background information, and income against their criteria. All decision criteria should be publicly available. The advantage of using a Rentell report or other PTSR is that you can compare where you stand on your report against the shared approval criteria from a property manager. That should give you a good sense of whether or not you meet the criteria and what chance you have of approval.

All of this information can be gathered by the property manager, or you can provide your own valid portable tenant screening report. It’s important to remember just because they accept your PTSR that is not the same thing as accepting your application. Screening is not approval. 

Rentell quickly and easily gathers the information into a streamlined simple report; property managers decide whether to approve or deny the application. 

4. You pay (or avoid) the application fee

Colorado limits application fees. A property manager cannot charge you more than they charge others applying for the same home. And if you give them a valid PTSR, they can’t charge you an application fee or a fee to access your report. 

A portable report is valid if it:

• Was completed in the last 30 days

• Comes from a consumer reporting agency (CRA)

• Includes identity, income, rental history, credit, and criminal/eviction checks

• Is provided at no cost for them to access

• Includes your statement that nothing has materially changed since it was created 

5. The property manager reviews your information

They compare your report or PTSR to their screening criteria. They must apply those criteria consistently, but they decide whether you qualify.

Colorado law requires acceptance of the report, not approval of the application. This is one of the most important distinctions in the entire screening process. Rentell’s compliance guide repeats this clearly:

Accepting the report is not the same as approving the renter. 

6. You get the decision

If your application is denied, Colorado law requires the property manager to give you written reasons. If they pulled a consumer report themselves, they must also provide a copy and explain your right to dispute inaccurate information with the CRA. 

7. If approved, you move to the lease stage

Approval usually leads to signing a lease, paying deposits, and confirming your move-in date.

People also ask: How long does the Colorado rental application process take?

It varies. Many renters hear back in a few days, but timing depends on the property manager, how quickly screening is completed, and whether documents need extra review. Colorado law doesn’t set a required timeline for decisions, but it does set rules on fees, portable reports, and what information must be shared.

Portable reports save money, not steps

A valid PTSR lets you skip new fees and repeated checks, but you still go through the same decision process.