What Colorado’s tenant screening law means for renters

Colorado’s tenant screening law changed how renters apply for homes. Instead of paying a new fee every time you apply somewhere, you can reuse a portable tenant screening report, often called a PTSR. It’s a screening report you’ve already completed with a consumer reporting agency and can share for up to thirty days.

The law is meant to reduce repeat fees and make the application process more fair. Still, it can be hard to know when a property manager must accept a portable report, what has to be included, and how decisions are actually made.

Here’s a clear look at what the law says, what it doesn’t promise, and what renters should expect. Everything here comes directly from Colorado’s statute and is written in plain language to keep things calm and clear. 

What the Colorado tenant screening law does

Colorado’s law gives renters the right to provide a portable tenant screening report instead of paying new screening fees. A PTSR is simply a consumer report that includes the information property managers typically review when evaluating an application.

If the report meets the legal criteria and contains all required components, the property manager must accept it as your screening report in most cases. They’ll still apply their own criteria and make their own decision, but you avoid paying again for the same information. 

What’s included in a portable tenant screening report

Colorado law defines exactly what must be in a valid PTSR. It has to include:

• Your name and contact information

• Income verification

• Your last-known address

• Rental and credit history for previous residences

• A criminal history record check

These components must come from a consumer reporting agency, and the report must show the date through which the information is current. 

A property manager only has to accept a report that contains all required pieces.

When a property manager has to accept your PTSR

A property manager is required to accept your portable report when it meets the legal definition of “valid.” A valid PTSR:

• Was created within the past thirty days

• Comes directly from a consumer reporting agency or a compliant third-party platform

• Includes all required screening components

• Is accessible at no cost to the property manager

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

In simple terms the report demonstrates;

• Who you are

• How to contact you

• Where you’ve lived

• Whether you’re employed and what you earn

• Your credit and rental history

• Your criminal history (convictions only)

• When all this information was last updated

When these conditions are met, the portable report replaces the need for a new screening. The decision on your application, though, still belongs to the property manager.

When a property manager isn’t required to accept your PTSR

The law creates a narrow exemption. A property manager isn’t required to accept a portable report if they meet both of these conditions:

• They only take one application fee at a time for a home (or for each renter group)

• They refund unused application fees within twenty days when they don’t offer a lease

This exception exists to protect renters from paying multiple fees at once. If a manager uses this one-fee-at-a-time approach and follows the refund rules, they don’t have to accept a portable report. 

Outside these situations, most Colorado property managers fall under the standard “must accept a valid PTSR” rule.

Accepting your report isn’t the same as approving your application

Colorado requires property managers to accept a valid PTSR as the screening report. But the manager still uses their own criteria and makes their own decision. A PTSR doesn’t guarantee approval. It just replaces the need to run and charge for a new report. 

Think of it like providing a résumé: they have to look at it, but they still decide.

People also ask: What happens after I provide a portable report?

Once you share your portable tenant screening report, the property manager reviews it using the same criteria they apply to every applicant. They can’t charge an application fee or a fee to access the report. They read it, compare it against their requirements, and then decide whether to move forward. 

Your part ends with providing the valid report. The decision is still up to them.

How notice works under the law

Before charging any application fee, a property manager has to tell renters that they have the right to provide a portable tenant screening report. This notice must clearly state that if you provide a PTSR, the manager can’t charge a fee to access or use it.

The notice must be easy to find in ads, on a website, in the application, or provided verbally with written confirmation. 

If this notice isn’t provided, the manager may be out of compliance unless; 

• They only take one application fee at a time for a home (or for each renter group)

• They refund unused application fees within twenty days when they don’t offer a lease

What happens if my application is denied?

If a property manager denies your application and they pulled a consumer report, they have to give you a written notice explaining why. This notice is called an adverse action notice.

An adverse action notice must include:

• The reason for the decision

• A copy of the consumer report they used

• Information about your right to dispute anything that’s inaccurate with the consumer reporting agency, as required by federal law

It’s also important to know that an adverse action isn’t only a full denial.

If you’re approved with conditions — like needing a higher deposit or a co-signer — that also counts as an adverse action. The property manager still has to give you the same notice and the same information about your rights.

In short, adverse action notices exist to keep the process transparent and give you a clear next step if something in your report doesn’t look right.

Why portable screening matters to renters

Portable screening gives renters more control and more transparency. You can reuse your verified information for thirty days, avoid paying repeat fees, and share your report when you’re ready. It brings a little more clarity to a process that can otherwise feel confusing or expensive.

Colorado has put those protections into law, and renters can take full advantage of them during the application process.