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Landlord Retaliation Laws in Colorado

Colorado law bars retaliation such as rent increases, service cuts, lease termination or eviction after a tenant makes a good-faith habitability complaint or joins a tenant association; the statute sets no presumption period.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Colorado at a glance

Retaliation banned by statute
Yes
Presumption period
No presumption period
The statute has no time window that presumes retaliation. Its only presumption favors the landlord when a broken appliance is replaced with a similar one.
Protected tenant actions
Good-faith habitability complaints, tenant associations
Covers good-faith complaints to the landlord or a government agency about uninhabitable conditions or conditions that threaten life, health or safety, and organizing or joining a tenant association.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Colorado

Does Colorado law prohibit landlord retaliation against tenants?

Yes. Retaliation banned by statute in Colorado: yes.

How long after a tenant complaint is retaliation presumed in Colorado?

Presumption period in Colorado: No presumption period. The statute has no time window that presumes retaliation. Its only presumption favors the landlord when a broken appliance is replaced with a similar one.

Which tenant actions are protected from retaliation in Colorado?

Protected tenant actions in Colorado: Good-faith habitability complaints, tenant associations. Covers good-faith complaints to the landlord or a government agency about uninhabitable conditions or conditions that threaten life, health or safety, and organizing or joining a tenant association.

Where do the Colorado landlord retaliation laws come from?

The rules above come from Colo. Rev. Stat. 38-12-509. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

A tenant who proves retaliation may end the lease and recover up to three months' rent or three times actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees.

What this means in practice

Keep a written record of every complaint, repair request and report to a government agency, with dates. A presumption period usually runs from the date of the protected action, so proof of that date can matter.

Retaliation protection does not usually excuse unpaid rent or lease violations. Statutes commonly allow a landlord to raise rent, end a tenancy or evict for a good-faith reason, such as nonpayment, damage to the unit or a rent increase applied to all tenants.

If a rent increase, service cut or eviction notice follows a complaint, read the statute for your state and any local ordinance. Cities and counties may add protections, and a local legal aid office or tenant union can explain how they apply.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.