Colorado Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell
Colorado law requires a landlord to give at least 14 calendar days written notice before showing or selling an occupied rental unit. Our AI builds a compliant Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell in minutes, walks you through the security deposit transfer rules, and keeps attorney-review available if you want a licensed lawyer to check your notice before you send it.
Introduction
Imagine you're a landlord in Colorado, ready to sell your rental property. This decision kicks off a journey that involves more than just real estate agents and potential buyers; it involves the people who currently call your property home. Colorado law charts a clear path for this transition, starting with a crucial first step: communication. You must provide your tenants with at least 14 calendar days of written notice before the 'For Sale' sign goes up and showings begin. Our AI-powered tool doesn't just create a state-compliant Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell; it guides you through the entire narrative, from properly notifying your tenants to the legal requirements for transferring their security deposit to the new owner, ensuring your story has a smooth and lawful conclusion.
Key Things to Know
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Picture the moment the sale closes. Your tenant's security deposit doesn't vanish; it's passed like a baton to the new owner, who then becomes fully responsible for it.
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When potential buyers want to visit, how do you schedule it? Colorado law values a common-sense approach, asking for reasonable advance notice and entry at reasonable times, fostering cooperation instead of conflict.
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If your plan involves selling a vacant property, that's a different story. Ending a month-to-month lease requires its own separate 21-day written notice, a distinct legal step from simply announcing the sale.
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The first chapter of your property sale story must begin with a clear and timely message. In Colorado, this means giving your tenants a written heads-up at least 14 calendar days before showings start.
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Tenants often worry that a 'For Sale' sign means they're being evicted. Reassure them that a sale doesn't break a lease. The new owner simply steps into your shoes as landlord until the current lease term ends.
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As you prepare to step away, a critical legal duty is the transfer of the tenant's security deposit. This must be done within a reasonable time after the sale to the person or entity taking over the property.
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To complete the security deposit handover, you must send a final piece of mail to your tenant. This letter confirms the transfer and provides the new owner's name and address, ensuring the tenant knows who now holds their funds.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell in Colorado, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell guide walks through them.
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Colorado Requirements for Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell
Provide the tenant at least 14 calendar days written notice before showing or selling an occupied Colorado rental unit, allowing reasonable time to prepare for access and marketing.
State clearly that the sale does not end a fixed-term lease and that the buyer takes the property subject to the existing lease and its remaining term.
Within a reasonable time after the landlord's interest ends by sale, assignment, death, receivership, or otherwise, transfer the deposit or any lawful remainder to the successor in interest.
After transferring the deposit, notify the tenant by ordinary mail of the transfer and provide the transferee's name and address so the tenant knows who now holds the funds.
Confirm that the successor in interest, upon receiving the deposit, holds all the rights and obligations of a landlord holding that security deposit, including its return.
Because Colorado sets no specific statutory hours rule for showings, follow the general national standard of reasonable advance notice and entry at reasonable times.
If ending a month-to-month tenancy in connection with the sale, give 21 days written notice to terminate the periodic tenancy, separate from any notice to show or sell.
Colorado does not codify a separate notice-format rule for sale-related residential tenant notices, so use a clear written notice identifying the parties, property, notice period, and tenant rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Colorado expects at least 14 calendar days of written notice before I show or sell an occupied unit, per C.R.S. § 38-12-701. That gives my tenant time to prepare for access and marketing. I still schedule visits at reasonable times so their daily routine isn't disrupted.
No. A sale doesn't cancel a fixed-term lease in Colorado. Whoever buys the property takes it subject to the existing agreement and steps into my shoes as landlord, honoring the same rent and end date until the term runs out on its own.
Before I can sell the unit empty, I have to close out the month-to-month arrangement properly. Colorado's C.R.S. § 13-40-107 sets that at 21 days of written notice to vacate, delivered before the current rental period ends. This termination notice is separate from any showing notice.
Yes, I can market an occupied unit and bring buyers through. Colorado doesn't fix specific showing hours, so I rely on reasonable timing and the 14-day written notice already required. Keeping to normal daytime hours protects my tenant's quiet enjoyment while the sale moves forward.
Announcing a sale changes nothing about rent. My tenant's lease stays fully binding, so full payment is still due on the usual date each month. That continues until the lease ends or a new owner formally takes over and tells them where to send future rent.
Colorado publishes no official form for this. I draft the notice myself, naming the parties and property, stating my intent to sell, spelling out the notice period, and confirming my tenant's rights. A clear, complete letter is all the statute expects.
My tenant sees right away that I plan to sell, so nothing feels hidden. The notice I give lays out how I will arrange showings around their schedule, and it reassures them that their current fixed-term lease stays fully in force even once a new owner takes over.
So there is a clear record my tenant actually got it, I pick a delivery method that confirms receipt. Handing it over in person works, as does certified mail with a return receipt, or whatever delivery route the written lease already spells out.
My tenant's deposit stays protected through the sale because it passes from me to the buyer when the deal closes. From that point the new owner holds those funds and takes on the duty of returning them once the tenancy eventually ends.