Denver crosses 25,000 licenses issued to landlords

Denver crosses 25,000 licenses issued to landlords

Published on January 08, 2025

Almost exactly one year since Denver implemented the full licensing requirement for residential rental landlords, the city has hit a major licensing milestone. On January 6, Denver crossed 25,000 residential rental licenses issued. The residential rental license is a city licensing requirement for all residential rental properties and includes a third-party inspection to verify minimal safe living standards. This is a key part of the City and County of Denver's efforts to complete the largest upgrade in residential rental property standards in city history and make sure every rental property is a safe place to live.

"We started from scratch with this new license type and to cross 25,000 at the end of the first year of the full licensing requirement is a big accomplishment for the city.," said Molly Duplechian, executive director of the Department of Excise and Licenses. "The dedicated city employees who stood up this license, processed applications, and helped applicants successfully apply deserve a lot of credit. And the responsible landlords who value following the law and offering a safe home to rent deserve credit too. This license type is helping Denver take a major step in accomplishing our goal of being the safest place to rent a residence in America."

There were 2,108 initial residential rental licenses issued in 2022 to landlords who wanted to get the license before it was required. In 2023, licenses were required only for landlords of multiunit properties such as apartment buildings and Denver issued 12,825 licenses. In 2024, licensing was required for all residential rental properties and 10,070 were issued, which resulted in the 25,000 threshold being surpassed. In total, there are now 25,017 licenses issued at properties that include more than 177,000 rental units.

The Department continuous to investigate unlicensed and noncompliant properties, using various internal and external enforcement tools. To date, Denver has issued 2,339 warning letters to unlicensed residential rental properties and has issued $94,084 in fines to unlicensed properties.

Denver has an online form found here where people can file a complaint for an unsafe property and unlicensed landlords or they can call 311.Frequently asked questions about this license type such as the cost of the license and what is inspected can be found here.

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