How Long Does a Landlord Have to Fix Something in Colorado?

In Colorado, a landlord has 24 hours to begin fixing a problem that threatens your life, health, or safety, and 72 hours to begin fixing other conditions that make the rental uninhabitable. Both clocks start the moment the landlord receives written notice. Miss those windows and you can hire your own repair professional and deduct the cost from rent, end the lease without penalty, or sue for damages.

The Two Repair Deadlines

Colorado sorts habitability problems into two buckets, each with its own timeline. The deadlines apply to when the landlord must begin remedial action, not when the repair must be finished.¹ Beginning action means actively addressing the issue, not just acknowledging the message.

24 Hours: Life, Health, or Safety

If the condition directly threatens your life, health, or safety, the landlord has 24 hours from notice to start fixing it. Common examples are no heat in winter, no running water, a gas leak, a sewage backup, or exposed electrical hazards. A broken furnace in December falls here because the lack of heat endangers you.

72 Hours: Other Uninhabitable Conditions

If the problem makes the rental uninhabitable but is not an immediate danger, the landlord has 72 hours from notice to begin work. A broken appliance covered by your lease, a persistent leak that has not yet become dangerous, or a pest issue that is not an immediate health risk would typically land here. A broken dishwasher, for instance, affects habitability without endangering you.

Some older guides still cite a 96-hour window for this category. The current statute says 72.

When the Clock Starts

Neither deadline begins until your landlord has notice of the problem. Colorado defines written notice broadly: a text message, an email, a maintenance request through an online portal, or a note to maintenance staff all count, as long as the writing gives the landlord a basis to know the condition exists.¹

If your lease says you can or must report maintenance issues by phone, verbal notice is enough. Any method of communication your lease permits, or that your landlord already uses with you, is legally sufficient.¹

Even though a phone call can count, you want proof if the dispute lands in court. Send notice in a way that creates a record: email, timestamped text, maintenance portal, or certified mail. Include the date, your name and unit number, a clear description of the problem, and a request to fix it. Save a copy.

What Counts as a Problem the Landlord Must Fix

Every Colorado lease includes an automatic warranty of habitability, whether the lease mentions it or not.¹ The landlord’s duty to repair applies to anything that breaches that warranty, which the statute defines through a specific list.² The covered items include:

Functioning heat, hot and cold running water, plumbing, and gas
Safe electrical systems and working appliances that were up to code when installed
A weatherproof roof, walls, windows, and doors
Working locks on exterior doors and security devices on windows that open
Floors, stairways, elevators, and railings in good repair
Pest control for rodents, vermin, and insects
Clean common areas and adequate trash removal
No building, housing, or health code violations that threaten your health or safety

Damage caused by you or your guests is not the landlord’s responsibility. Neither are purely cosmetic issues like scuffed paint or outdated fixtures.

Mold Has Its Own Timeline

Mold associated with dampness makes a rental uninhabitable unless it is minor surface condensation in a spot like bathroom tile where moisture naturally gathers.² If the mold threatens your health or safety, the 24-hour deadline applies. Otherwise, the 72-hour deadline applies.

Within 72 hours of notice, the landlord must contain the mold, cut off the water source feeding it, and set up air filtration. After that, the landlord has to dry out affected materials, remove anything damaged beyond repair, and test to confirm the mold is gone.²

If the mold threatens your health and you need to leave temporarily, you can request comparable temporary housing and the landlord must provide it. If you are displaced more than 48 hours, the temporary housing must include basic cooking facilities or the landlord has to pay a daily meal stipend.

If the Landlord Misses the Deadline

When the 24- or 72-hour window passes without action, Colorado law gives you several remedies, and you can use more than one at the same time.³

Hire a Pro and Deduct the Cost

You can hire a licensed or qualified professional, pay for the repair, and subtract the cost from your rent. The procedure matters:

Give the landlord at least 10 days’ advance written notice of your intent to hire someone. For a life, health, or safety condition, 48 hours’ notice is enough.
The landlord must still fail to fix the problem during that notice period.
The person you hire cannot be a relative, and the estimate has to be consistent with industry standards.
After the work is finished, give the landlord a receipt or proof of payment within a reasonable time, or within 30 days of being asked.

The statute does not cap the deduction at one month’s rent or any dollar amount, but the cost has to be reasonable and documented.³ A court that finds you deducted rent without substantially following these steps can hit you with penalties.

Replace a Broken Appliance

For a malfunctioning appliance specifically, you can buy a replacement and deduct the cost from rent after giving the landlord at least three days’ advance written notice. The replacement has to be comparable in quality and have substantially the same features as the original.³

Terminate the Lease

If the uninhabitable condition stays unrepaired, you can end your lease without penalty. Give the landlord between 10 and 60 days’ written notice that identifies the unresolved condition, states that you are moving out, and sets a move-out date at least 10 days away.³

Sue for Damages

You can file suit for actual damages caused by the breach, including any reduction in the rental value of your unit for the period it was uninhabitable, plus court costs. The claim can stand on its own or be raised as a counterclaim if the landlord sues you for unpaid rent or eviction.³

Do Not Simply Stop Paying Rent

Colorado does not give tenants a general right to withhold rent over habitability problems. The law lets you deduct documented repair costs; that is not the same as refusing to pay. Withholding full rent outside the repair-and-deduct process can get you an eviction filing even when the landlord really did fail to make repairs.

Your Landlord Cannot Retaliate

Reporting a problem is protected. A Colorado landlord cannot raise your rent, cut services, terminate your lease without consent, threaten eviction, or otherwise punish you for making a good faith complaint about an uninhabitable condition, complaining to a government agency, or joining a tenants’ association.⁴

If the landlord retaliates, you can terminate the lease and recover up to three months’ rent or three times your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs. Retaliation is also a defense if your landlord tries to evict you after a complaint.⁴