11 Features That Raise Rent in Denver Metro Rental Homes

Eleven features raise rent and keep tenants in Denver metro rentals: central air or a mini-split, an in-unit washer and dryer, a garage or covered parking, luxury vinyl plank flooring, a smart thermostat with keyless entry, wired internet, a pet-ready setup, low-water landscaping, gear storage, layered lighting with UV window film, and a refreshed bathroom. Together they add $150 to $400 a month on a single-unit rental in Aurora, Lakewood, Thornton or Littleton and cut turnover, which is where the real money is.

A vacant Denver metro house costs one month of rent ($2,000 to $2,800 for a three-bedroom) plus $1,500 to $3,000 in make-ready and a leasing fee of half to a full month. Every renewal you earn is worth $4,000 to $7,000. Colorado's 2024 for-cause eviction law, HB24-1098, makes renewal the default after 12 months, so a rental that tenants want to stay in is now the whole game.

What every Denver metro rental needs before the extras

• Denver rental license: Denver requires a residential rental license for every long-term rental, with a $50 fee for a single unit and an inspection every four years. Aurora, Lakewood and the counties do not license, but the Colorado warranty of habitability applies everywhere.
• Radon: Colorado sits in the EPA's highest radon zone and about half of Colorado homes test above the 4 pCi/L action level. A mitigation system costs $1,200 to $2,500 and a posted test result under 2 pCi/L is a leasing point no competing listing makes.
• Deposit and screening limits: Colorado caps the security deposit at two months' rent and the income requirement at 200% of rent under SB23-184. Pet deposits are capped at $300 and pet rent at the greater of $35 a month or 1.5% of rent under HB23-1068.
• Winter rules: read what Denver landlords need to know about winter compliance for the heating and snow-removal obligations.

The 11 features, with Front Range costs and what they return

1. Central air or a mini-split

Denver records 30 to 40 days above 90 degrees a year and thousands of older brick ranches in Denver, Lakewood, Englewood and Arvada still run on a swamp cooler or nothing. A tenant who sweats through one summer moves in September. Adding central AC to a home with ducts runs $5,000 to $9,000; a two-zone ductless mini-split runs $7,000 to $12,000 and also heats. Xcel Energy pays rebates on qualifying high-efficiency units, and the unit pays for itself in two years at a $100 rent premium plus one avoided turnover.

2. In-unit washer and dryer

Laundry inside the unit is the first filter tenants apply on a listing site. On a house or a duplex it is a $1,400 to $2,500 appliance purchase, plus hookups if the home has none. Buy a ventless heat-pump dryer when there is no exterior wall for a vent.

3. A garage, carport or covered parking

Hail is the Front Range feature no other market has. A tenant who paid a $1,000 auto deductible after a June storm pays $100 to $200 a month more for a covered spot the next year. A garage also stores skis, bikes and a second car, which is why garage listings rent first in Highlands Ranch, Parker and Castle Rock.

4. Luxury vinyl plank flooring and washable rugs

Carpet in a Colorado rental lasts two tenancies at most: mag chloride from winter roads, dog traffic and red dust from the trails destroy it. Luxury vinyl plank at $5 to $9 per square foot installed survives all three and wipes clean at turnover. Layer it with washable rugs; many Front Range landlords and stagers use rugs from double because the rug goes in the washing machine between tenants instead of to the dump. Wool, cotton and jute add texture without the odor problem that synthetic carpet has after one winter.

5. Smart thermostat and keyless entry

A smart thermostat lets a tenant hold 68 degrees in January without a $300 Xcel bill, and it lets you prove the furnace ran if a habitability complaint comes in. A keyless deadbolt ends the $150 rekey at every turnover and the 11 p.m. lockout call. Buy models that work on Wi-Fi without a subscription.

6. Wired internet

Remote and hybrid workers make up a large share of Denver metro renters, and they test the internet before they sign. Run one Ethernet drop from the demarcation point to the office or living room and list the provider and the speed tier available at the address. In Centennial, Highlands Ranch and Fort Collins, fiber availability by itself moves a listing to the top of the search.

7. A pet-ready setup

Colorado law caps what you can charge for a pet, so the money is in the applicant pool, not the fee. A fenced yard, LVP floors and a hose bib near the back door let you accept dogs without the damage, and pet owners renew at higher rates because so few competing listings take them. Budget $2,500 to $6,000 for a cedar or vinyl fence on a standard suburban lot.

8. Low-water landscaping

Denver Water's tiered rates make a bluegrass lawn the most expensive thing about a rental in July, and tenants do not water it anyway. Convert the front yard to drip-irrigated native plants and rock at $8 to $15 per square foot, and check for a turf-replacement rebate from Denver Water, Aurora Water or Castle Rock Water. Colorado law, C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5, stops an HOA from prohibiting xeriscape, so the covenants are not a barrier.

9. Gear storage

A Colorado tenant owns two bikes, skis or a snowboard, a paddleboard and camping gear. Garage wall shelving, ceiling bike hooks and a lockable closet cost $500 to $1,500 and keep that gear off the living room floor and out of the photos at the next showing.

10. Layered lighting and UV window film

At 5,280 feet, sunlight through a south or west window fades floors and furniture in two summers. UV window film at $6 to $12 per square foot stops that and cuts summer heat. Inside, replace the single ceiling fixture with warm 2700K to 3000K LED cans, under-cabinet strips and a switched outlet for lamps; the whole package runs $800 to $2,000 and photographs like a remodel.

11. A refreshed bathroom

New faucets, a frameless mirror, a comfort-height toilet, a rain showerhead and fresh grout cost $2,500 to $6,000 and return $25 to $75 a month. Skip the tile demo; regrout and paint. Keep the palette to soft white and warm gray so the room reads clean in listing photos.

Which upgrades to do first on a Denver metro rental

1. Cooling, if the home has none.
2. Laundry, if the home has none.
3. LVP floors at the next turnover.
4. Covered parking or a fence, whichever the neighborhood lacks.
5. Everything else as the budget allows, each at a turnover so the home is never off-market for a project.

Before you buy the next rental, run it through the rental property checklist for Colorado. If you are buying your first one with an FHA loan, the Denver house hacking guide shows how to live in one unit while the other pays for these upgrades. Furnished-rental owners get a furniture-specific list in what furniture attracts the best tenants in Denver furnished rentals, and the post on reducing vacancy time for a Denver rental covers marketing once the work is done.

Where to go next

• Colorado real estate investing guide
• Rental property checklist: how to buy a rental in Colorado
• Colorado duplex and multifamily buying guide
• State of the Denver rental market
• Search every home and multi-unit property for sale in Colorado
• Meet the Kenna Real Estate Group agents

Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group

We help Colorado investors buy rentals that already have the features tenants pay for, and we tell you which upgrades the numbers support before you close. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Or search every home for sale in Colorado and sort by garage, AC and lot size.