Colorado Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Colorado's security deposit statute (C.R.S. § 38-12-103), the 30-day return deadline, the treble-damages penalty, and the 2026 tenant protections under HB25-1249. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
30 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
3× damages
for willful withholding, plus fees
Statute
§ 38-12-103
Colorado Revised Statutes
Under C.R.S. § 38-12-103, your landlord has 30 days after your tenancy ends to return your security deposit or provide a written, itemized statement of any deductions (up to 60 days only if your lease specifically says so).
If the landlord withholds your deposit in bad faith, you may recover:
So a $1,500 deposit wrongfully withheld can support a court judgment of $4,500 plus fees. Colorado requires you to give the landlord 7 days’ written notice before filing suit for treble damages — your demand letter is built to serve as exactly that notice, which starts the clock the day it arrives.
New for 2026 (HB25-1249): For conduct on or after January 1, 2026, "normal wear and tear" now expressly includes ordinary uncleanliness, so routine cleaning charges are off the table, and deductions for pre-existing damage are barred. You can demand supporting documentation within 14 days — and if the landlord doesn’t produce it, that itself supports a wrongful-withholding claim. Withholding 125% or more of actual damages can be treated as bad faith, and a 7-day pre-suit notice is required before suing for treble damages.
Deposit cap: Colorado caps security deposits at two months’ rent (SB23-184, effective 2023). HB25-1249 did not change this cap — sources claiming a new one-month Colorado cap are mistaken.
Every letter follows the structure courts expect — your facts, the statute, a specific demand, and a deadline. Here's the skeleton; the generator fills the brackets from your answers and computes Colorado's deadlines under § 38-12-103.
[Date]
[Your name]
[Your forwarding address]
[Landlord's name and address]
RE: Security Deposit — Formal Demand for Return of $[Amount]
I am the former tenant of [rental property address]. You accepted a security deposit of $[Amount], and my tenancy ended on [move-out date]. My forwarding address for return of the deposit is stated above, which I am providing to you in writing.
Under § 38-12-103, you were required to [return the deposit or provide an itemized statement] within [the statutory period]. That period has passed, and you have done neither. [The specific consequence Colorado law attaches, cited by section.]
I demand return of $[Amount] no later than [deadline]. If I do not receive it, I am prepared to pursue all remedies available under [statute], including filing suit in the appropriate court.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
30 days after you move out.
A landlord who willfully retains the deposit without a valid basis is liable for treble (three times) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs, under § 38-12-103.
Colorado Revised Statutes § 38-12-103 and Colorado Revised Statutes § 38-12-104. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Colorado rules on this page were verified against the statute text itself:
Last verified against primary sources on .
How we verify this →Laws change. If you spot something out of date, tell us at support@gettenantshield.com and we'll correct it.
Properly formatted, addressed to your landlord by name, citing the exact Colorado statutes that apply to your situation.
C.R.S. § 38-12-103, § 38-12-104, and any others triggered by your circumstances — not generic legalese.
The letter computes the exact dollar amount you're entitled to demand based on your deposit and the deductions at issue.
Download instantly, print, sign, and send via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt.
Most Colorado landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39