Denver / Inspection guide

Inspecting a Denver rental before and after you sign

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

In Denver, a good inspection looks ahead to every season: a heater that must work through a cold winter, windows that have survived hail, and upstairs rooms that can get hot in summer. Colorado law now sets firm repair deadlines, which makes a careful record at move in especially valuable. This guide explains what to check and how to ask for repairs, with a source for every rule.

What Colorado law requires

Colorado treats a home as uninhabitable if it substantially lacks basic conditions, including running water at all times and reasonable amounts of hot water, working heat from October through April, a roof and exterior walls that keep out water, unbroken windows and doors, electrical lighting and wiring that met applicable law when installed, and freedom from pests. Mold or dampness that materially interferes with health or safety also makes a home uninhabitable.^[1]

Denver adds a licensing requirement. Rentals must be licensed, and a license requires a third party inspection covering basics such as a working heater, running water and freedom from pests and black mold.^[2] Ask the landlord for the license number and when the home was last inspected.

Heat first

Working heat from October through April is a legal requirement in Colorado^[1], so test it during your viewing even in summer. Turn up the thermostat and check that warm air or heat reaches every room, including bedrooms at the end of hallways and rooms over garages, which are often the coldest. Ask whether the home uses a gas furnace, a boiler or electric baseboard heat, how old the system is and when it was last serviced. Ask what the heating bills were last January, since an inefficient system or drafty windows can make winter expensive.

Windows, doors and weather

Open and close every window and door, check that each one locks, and look for cracked glass, broken seals and gaps where cold air can enter. Colorado's hail storms can crack windows, dent siding and damage roofs, so look at the outside of the building for signs of hail damage and at ceilings inside for water stains that suggest a roof leak. A roof and exterior walls that keep out water are part of Colorado's habitability standard.^[1] Worn weather stripping around doors lets in cold air and raises heating bills.

Water, leaks and mold

Run the hot and cold taps and the shower, note how long the water takes to get hot, flush each toilet and look under every sink for leaks or stains. Look for dark spots on ceilings, around windows, behind toilets and inside closets, and notice any musty smell. Colorado's dry climate means mold usually points to a specific leak or ventilation problem rather than general humidity. If mold appears during your tenancy, the landlord must contain the affected area and stop any active water source within 72 hours of notice.^[3]

Ask whether pipes have ever frozen. In cold snaps, pipes along outside walls or in unheated spaces can freeze and burst, and a home that has had that problem before may need extra care in winter.

Kitchen and bathrooms

Turn on every burner and the oven, check that the refrigerator and freezer are cold, and run the dishwasher and garbage disposal briefly if there are any. Check the bathroom exhaust fans, since poor ventilation can lead to dampness. Look for signs of pests, such as droppings or dead insects in cabinets. Pest extermination is part of Colorado's habitability standard.^[1]

Check the electrical outlets as you go, using a phone charger to test several in each room, and switch on every light. Flickering lights, warm outlet covers or a breaker that trips often can point to wiring problems, and electrical wiring that is unsafe is one of the conditions Colorado treats as making a home uninhabitable.^[1] Note anything unusual on your move in list.

Radon

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, and Colorado estimates that it causes about 500 lung cancer deaths in the state each year.^[4] Before you sign a lease, the landlord must give you a written radon warning, any known radon test results, information about any mitigation system and the state's radon brochure.^[5] If the home has a mitigation system, look for the fan and pipe, usually in a basement or on an outside wall, and ask whether it is working. If there are no test results, consider asking whether the landlord will test, especially for basement and ground floor units.

Cooling in summer

Denver's housing code does not require air conditioning, but air conditioning a landlord supplies must be safe and working.^[6] If the home has it, test it and ask who maintains it. If it does not, notice whether upstairs rooms get strong afternoon sun and whether windows allow cross ventilation. Colorado law generally does not allow a landlord to ban portable cooling devices, unless installing one would violate building codes, damage the property or exceed the electrical capacity^[1][7], so ask whether the electrical circuits can support a portable unit.

Safety equipment

Press the test button on every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and note any that do not sound, which matters especially in homes with gas furnaces or water heaters. Ask where the water shut off valve and electrical panel are. In buildings with shared entrances, check that entry doors close and lock and that walkways, stairs and parking areas are lit at night and cleared of snow and ice in winter.

Basement and garden level units

Many Denver homes include basement or garden level apartments, which can be good value but deserve extra attention. Look at the walls and floor for water stains, efflorescence or a damp smell, and ask whether the unit has ever flooded during heavy rain or snowmelt. Check that each bedroom has a window large enough to escape through in a fire, and that the window opens easily. Basements are also where radon tends to be highest, so the radon disclosure^[5] and any mitigation system matter most for these units.

Common areas and the outside

Walk the hallways, stairs, laundry room, parking area and trash area. Notice whether railings are secure, lighting works and walkways are in good repair. In winter, ask who clears snow and ice from sidewalks, stairs and the parking lot, and how quickly. Look at the building's gutters and downspouts, since water that pours onto a walkway can freeze into a hazard. Ask where packages are delivered and whether parking areas and bicycle storage are secure.

Record everything at move in

From January 1, 2026, a landlord that keeps any part of a deposit must support deductions with documentation such as photographs and inspection forms^[8], so your own move in record is your best counterweight. Photograph and film every room before furniture arrives, with close ups of existing damage and a wider shot showing where it is. Email the photographs and a written list of problems to the landlord, so there is a dated record that it received them.

Questions to ask the landlord

What is the rental license number, and when was the last inspection?
How old is the heating system, and when was it last serviced?
What were the heating and electric bills last January and July?
Has the home had hail damage, roof leaks, frozen pipes or mold?
Has the home been tested for radon, and is there a mitigation system?
Who clears snow from the walkways and parking area?

Write down the answers and the name of the person who gave them.

How to request a repair

Make every repair request in writing and keep a copy, even if you also call. Describe the problem, where it is and when it started, and attach photographs. Colorado sets clear deadlines. After notice, the landlord must respond within 24 hours, and must begin repairs within 24 hours for conditions that materially interfere with life, health or safety, or within 72 hours for other conditions. If a life, health or safety condition remains seven days after notice, or another uninhabitable condition remains 14 days after notice, the law presumes a breach of the warranty of habitability.^[3] For life, health or safety conditions, the landlord must, on request, provide a comparable unit or a hotel room at no cost to you while repairs are made, although rent is still owed.^[3]

When the landlord needs to enter to make repairs, it must give 24 hours' written notice with the date, time and estimated length of the visit, unless there is an imminent threat, and you may reasonably decline a proposed time and suggest another.^[3] You are protected from retaliation for good faith complaints, and the tenant only needs to show that the complaint was a motivating factor in a landlord's action.^[9] In Denver, complaints about housing conditions can be made through 311.^[6]

What to do with what you find

Before you sign, list every problem you found and ask the landlord in writing to repair it before move in, or to note it as existing damage. Keep the photographs and the landlord's reply. A landlord that will not put anything in writing is telling you something important about how repairs will be handled later.

Inspect again during the tenancy, not only at the start. Before each winter, check the heater, the windows and the weather stripping, and report problems early, when repairs are easier to schedule than during the first cold snap.

Your completion record

Rental license number
Heater tested
Windows, doors and hail damage
Signs of leaks, mold and pests
Radon disclosure and mitigation
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Repair requests in writing

Keep this record with your move in photographs. See the evidence guide for how to document problems, and the move in guide for the steps before you sign.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Denver guides