To create better living conditions and track the number of rentals in the city, Denver will begin requiring landlords to have licenses starting next year.

According to Denver’s new Inspection Checklist Guidebook, “The Residential Rental Program (RRP) is designed to proactively enforce minimum housing standards to ensure all renters in Denver have safe and sanitary housing.”

Denver City Council voted to require licensing for rental properties in May of 2021. Before a landlord can obtain a license, the property will require an inspection, which will check for things like: proper lighting in halls and stairways; a minimum temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit for hot water; properly working toilets; properly installed outlets and fixtures, regular trash pickup, and more.

The new regulation will have widespread impact. According to Denverite, the city expects to issue 42,000 rental licenses, “or nearly seven times as many licenses [as] it has for security guards, which is currently the most-issued license.”

Denverite also reports that the program will be implemented in phases: Starting January 1, 2023, landlords owning residential properties of two or more units, such as apartment buildings, condos and rowhomes, will need licenses. Starting January, 2024, those needing licenses will also include landlords of single-family homes or a single condo or rowhome unit.

Landlords can apply now and save $25 on the application fee, which will jump to $50 next year. Licenses are issued for four years and will cost $50 per unit, in addition to the application fee, “with prices increasing for properties with multiple units,” notes Denverite.