Denver’s first 15,000 rental licenses come up for renewal in 2027
City officials say process improvements and temporary staff shifts, if needed, can help manage the first renewal wave.
About 15,000 Denver residential rental licenses issued in 2023 are due for renewal in 2027, the first renewal wave under the city’s four-year program, department officials told City Council during a budget hearing. Officials said they could manage the workload using efficiencies developed since the initial licensing push and temporarily reassigning staff if needed. They do not yet know how many licensees will renew. The department had a small backlog when the first wave of applications arrived in 2023.
The department reported more than 30,000 residential rental licenses covering about 190,000 units. Licenses are issued by parcel, and the department receives roughly 250 to 300 new applications a month.
To find unlicensed rentals, inspectors use a manual process. Officials said inspectors can devote a day a week to that work. The process can escalate from a violation notice to administrative citations when owners do not comply.
The department cannot calculate what share of Denver’s rental properties are licensed because it lacks a reliable count of all rental properties. Officials said a roughly 50,000-rental estimate was used when the licensing requirement was created, but the department cannot determine how close it is to the current total.
Council members requested citywide rental-compliance data and, if possible, a breakdown by council district. The department said it could provide the information.