Free Colorado Cash for Keys Agreement Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Colorado Cash for Keys Agreement

This Cash for Keys Agreement is built with Colorado as the governing state. These are the Colorado landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Colorado rules at a glance

Colorado rules for a Cash for Keys Agreement
Security deposit limit	2 months’ rent; a separate pet deposit is capped at $300C.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-106
Deposit return	30 days, or up to 60 days if the lease says so; noncompliance forfeits the right to withholdC.R.S. §38-12-103
Pet deposits & pet rent	A pet deposit can’t exceed $300 and must be refundable; monthly pet rent is capped at the greater of $35 or 1.5% of the monthly rent (§38-12-106). Assistance animals aren’t pets and can’t be charged either.
Month-to-month termination	21 days under the common reading — 28 or 91 days if the tenancy is read by total length; cause is required for most tenants of 12+ monthsC.R.S. §13-40-107
Nonpayment eviction notice	10-day demand (5 days under a qualifying “exempt residential agreement”)C.R.S. §13-40-104(1)(d)
Nonpayment & lease violations	A 10-day written demand to pay or cure is required for residential tenancies (§13-40-104(1)(d), (e)). A landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes may use 5 days only under an “exempt residential agreement” — a lease of a single-family home that itself states the 10-day period doesn’t apply (§13-40-104(5)(b)).

Security deposits in Colorado

Since August 7, 2023, a Colorado landlord can’t require a security deposit of more than two monthly rent payments (§38-12-102.5). Colorado also regulates the return tightly — and the penalties for getting it wrong are among the harshest in the country. HB25-1249, effective January 1, 2026, added new documentation and wear-and-tear rules on top.

Return deadline — The deposit, or a written statement listing the exact reasons for keeping any part of it together with the balance, is due within 30 days after the lease ends or the premises are surrendered, whichever is later. The lease may extend this to no more than 60 days (§38-12-103(1), as amended by HB25-1249).
Forfeiture — Missing the deadline, otherwise failing to follow the statute, or wrongfully withholding forfeits the landlord’s right to withhold any portion of the deposit — even for real damage (§38-12-103(2)).
Treble damages — Wrongfully withholding a deposit makes the landlord liable for three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney fees and court costs, and the landlord bears the burden of proving the withholding wasn’t wrongful. The tenant must first give at least 7 days’ written notice of the demand and intent to sue (§38-12-103(3)). Since 2026, keeping 125% or more of the landlord’s actual damages is presumed to be bad faith (§38-12-103(3.5)).
Wear and tear (2026) — Deductions can’t be taken for normal wear and tear or for conditions that existed before the tenancy, and a lease clause charging the tenant for such work is void. Within 14 days after a tenant’s written request, the landlord must share the photos, inspection reports, receipts, invoices or estimates supporting any deduction (§38-12-103(7)(b), (8), added by HB25-1249).
Pet deposits & pet rent — A pet deposit can’t exceed $300 and must be refundable; monthly pet rent is capped at the greater of $35 or 1.5% of the monthly rent (§38-12-106). Assistance animals aren’t pets and can’t be charged either.

Ending a Colorado tenancy

Colorado sets the notice to end a tenancy by the length of the tenancy rather than a flat 30 days (§13-40-107(2)). For a month-to-month tenancy, the period usually applied is 21 days, but the 2024 amendments tie the notice to “the length of the applicable tenancy”, and many practitioners read that as total occupancy — 28 days after six months and 91 days after a year — so the longer notice is the safer course. Since 2024, a landlord can rely on these notices alone only where the for-cause rules don’t apply — for example, a tenant who has been in place for less than 12 months (§13-40-107(1)).

Notice to end a Colorado tenancy with no fixed term (C.R.S. §13-40-107(2))
Tenancy of 1 year or longer	91 days
6 months to 1 year	28 days
1 month to 6 months	21 days
1 week to 1 month, or tenancy at will	3 days
Less than 1 week	1 day

For-cause eviction — Once a tenant has been in the unit for at least 12 months, a landlord generally can’t end or refuse to renew the tenancy without a statutory cause — such as nonpayment, a lease violation, or one of the no-fault grounds below (§38-12-1303). Owner-occupied single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, short-term rentals and employer-provided housing are exempt (§38-12-1302).
No-fault grounds — Demolition or conversion, substantial repairs, the landlord or a family member moving in, taking the unit off the market to sell, the tenant refusing a new lease on reasonable terms, or rent paid more than 10 days late more than twice during the lease — each generally requiring at least 90 days’ written notice (§38-12-1303(3)). If the landlord can’t show compliance, a court must dismiss the eviction (§38-12-1306).
Nonpayment & lease violations — A 10-day written demand to pay or cure is required for residential tenancies (§13-40-104(1)(d), (e)). A landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes may use 5 days only under an “exempt residential agreement” — a lease of a single-family home that itself states the 10-day period doesn’t apply (§13-40-104(5)(b)).
Domestic violence — A tenant who is a victim of domestic violence, stalking or unlawful sexual behavior may end the lease early with written notice and qualifying documentation (§38-12-402).

Colorado Cash for Keys Agreement FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Colorado?

No more than two monthly rent payments (C.R.S. §38-12-102.5, in force since August 7, 2023). A separate pet deposit is capped at $300 and must be refundable, and pet rent can’t exceed the greater of $35 or 1.5% of monthly rent (C.R.S. §38-12-106).

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Colorado?

Thirty days after the lease ends or the unit is surrendered, whichever is later — or up to 60 days if the lease specifies a longer period (the deadline changed from one month on January 1, 2026). Missing the deadline forfeits the right to keep any of it, and wrongful withholding can cost three times the amount withheld (§38-12-103).

How much notice for nonpayment of rent in Colorado?

A 10-day written demand to pay or move out for residential tenancies (§13-40-104(1)(d)). A landlord with an “exempt residential agreement” — a lease of a single-family home by a landlord who owns five or fewer single-family rental homes, where the lease itself states that the 10-day period doesn’t apply — may use 5 days (§13-40-104(5)(b)).

Cash for Keys Agreement in other states

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