How to report rental housing problems in Fort Collins

Fort Collins renters who believe their homes do not meet city minimum housing standards can request an inspection.

Here’s what the standards require, when to ask for an inspection, how to report a concern and where to get legal help.

What minimum standards must Fort Collins rental homes meet?

Fort Collins’ rental housing standards include windows that open and working heat and water. The city posts its full Rental Housing Minimum Requirements. Buildings, sidewalks, outbuildings and fences must generally be in good repair and free of hazards such as damaged or loose components. Yards must be free of rodent, vermin and insect infestations and hazards such as open holes or broken sidewalks. Stairs need sound steps and securely attached handrails. Decks and porches 30 inches above the ground need securely attached guardrails. Window wells within 3 feet of driveways or sidewalks need guardrails or grate covers. Windows and doors must keep out wind and the elements, and each window and door used for required ventilation needs an insect screen. Entry-door locks must work from inside without a key or special knowledge; windows within 6 feet of the ground need locks. Floors, walls, stairs, doors and windows must be free of decay or defective surfaces and kept in good repair. Interior stairs need securely attached handrails and guardrails, interior doors must be securely attached and open and close properly, and walking surfaces must generally be in good repair. Interior spaces must be free of rodent, vermin and insect infestations.

Every habitable space needs a natural-light window with glazed area of at least 8% of the room’s floor area and an openable ventilation window at least 4% of that area. Common hallways and stairways in buildings with three or more dwelling units need one 60-watt bulb per 200 square feet. Each bathroom and toilet room needs an openable exterior window or an exhaust fan ducted outside; each clothes dryer must vent outside through an independent duct. Dwelling units must provide privacy from adjoining spaces, and bathrooms and toilet rooms must provide privacy. Each bedroom needs access to a water closet and lavatory without passing through another bedroom. Food-preparation areas need suitable space and equipment to store, prepare and serve food sanitarily. Each dwelling unit needs its own bathtub or shower, lavatory, water closet and kitchen sink in safe and sanitary condition; a kitchen sink cannot substitute for a lavatory. Plumbing fixtures must be safe, sanitary, functional and free of obstructions, leaks and defects. Kitchen sinks, lavatories, laundry facilities, bathtubs and showers need hot and cold running water. The water supply must provide enough volume and pressure for plumbing fixtures and water heated to at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Plumbing fixtures must connect to an approved sewer system without obstructions, leaks or defects.

Heat must be capable of maintaining at least 68°F (20°C) in habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms. Mechanical appliances must be properly installed and safely maintained. Fuel-burning equipment other than gas-cooking appliances must connect to an approved chimney or vent. Mechanical equipment needs an approved automatic fuel shutoff, an accessible manual fuel shutoff valve and a listed appliance fuel connector. Gas-cooking appliances cannot heat a dwelling or guestroom, and portable fuel-burning appliances are prohibited. Dwelling units need three-wire, 120/240-volt electrical service rated at least 60 amperes; electrical equipment, wiring and appliances must be properly installed and safely maintained. Every habitable space needs at least two separate, remote receptacle outlets. Laundry areas need a grounded or ground-fault-circuit-interrupter-protected receptacle, bathrooms need a ground-fault-circuit-interrupter-protected receptacle, and receptacles in kitchens, garages, unfinished basements and exterior locations need ground-fault-circuit-interrupter protection. Public halls, interior stairways, toilet rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, boiler rooms and furnace rooms each need an electric light fixture. Extension cords cannot be wired directly to permanent wiring or installed inside walls, through floors, under carpets, or attached to trim or walls. Exit doors must open from inside without keys, special knowledge or effort. Each rental dwelling unit or guestroom needs direct access outside or access to a public corridor leading to an exterior exit. Emergency escape and rescue openings must meet the code in effect when the building was constructed or provide a net clear opening of at least 720 square inches, whichever is greater, with a sill no more than 48 inches above the interior floor. Smoke alarms belong on the ceiling or wall outside each separate sleeping area near bedrooms, in each room used for sleeping and on every story of a dwelling unit, including basements. Rental single-family homes and units in multifamily dwellings with fuel-fired appliances or an attached garage, for properties covered on or after July 1, 2009, need carbon monoxide detectors on each level with a lawful sleeping room and within 15 feet of each sleeping-room entrance.

When can I ask Fort Collins to inspect my rental?

You can request an inspection any time you believe your rental home does not meet the city’s minimum standards. Fort Collins recommends contacting your landlord about maintenance or repairs before scheduling one.

What does a rental inspection cover?

A Fort Collins rental inspection checks whether your home or apartment meets the city’s Rental Housing Minimum Requirements. Inspectors examine the exterior, interior, electrical and mechanical systems, and fire safety.

How can I report a rental housing concern to the city?

You can report a concern to Fort Collins Code Compliance online through Access Fort Collins. Its online reporting directions are:

To report a concern through Access Fort Collins

1. Visit Access Fort Collins.

   Access Fort Collins

2. Select ‘Requests.’

3. Select ‘Create a Request.’

You can also leave a complaint by phone at 970-416-2350, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Code Compliance team follows up after hearing your message. You may complain anonymously, though that may limit follow-up. Messages containing threats, harassment or abusive language may be referred to appropriate authorities and may not receive a direct response.

What happens after I report a code concern?

An inspector is to visit the property as soon as possible after a Code Compliance complaint. The city says most issues are resolved voluntarily after property owners are notified. For general Code Compliance violations, the city lists this sequence:

• Days 1–2: Inspection and notice.
• Day 8: Re-inspection.
• Days 9–12: A citation or contractor assignment is possible.

Where can I get help with state habitability rights?

The City of Fort Collins says its rental standards differ from the state’s Warrant of Habitability, which sets statewide minimum standards and must be enforced through the court system. Larimer County says Colorado landlords are responsible for providing safe and healthy homes, and the state’s Warranty of Habitability law can help renters address health and safety concerns. The county links to more information about unsafe housing conditions.

Larimer County lists two contacts for legal help. If you have a housing-related issue, you can request free legal assistance from the Colorado Poverty Law Project by completing its intake form, calling or attending a clinic:

Legal help for housing concerns

• Colorado Poverty Law Project

  Phone

  (303) 532-2641

  Online

  copovertylawproject.org

  Complete the intake form at the linked page, or attend a clinic listed at https://copovertylawproject.org/our-work/legal-clinics/.

• Colorado Legal Services

  Phone

  970-493-2891