CU Boulder Lease Guide: What Every Student Should Know Before Signing
Boulder leases make students legally responsible for roommates’ unpaid rent, property damages, and lease violations through joint and several liability clauses found in nearly every rental agreement near campus. Most CU Boulder students sign 12-month contracts worth $8,000 to $15,000 without understanding these terms. Student Legal Services offers free attorney lease reviews that catch problematic clauses before signing. Reading your entire lease takes 20 minutes. That investment prevents thousands in unexpected charges.
TL;DR: Key Lease Facts for CU Boulder Students
- Joint and several liability makes you responsible for 100% of rent if roommates stop paying
- Boulder limits most rentals to three unrelated occupants with fines up to $2,000 per day for violations
- Co-signing parents become liable for all roommates’ rent and damages, not just yours
- Student Legal Services provides free attorney lease reviews before you sign anything
- Verbal landlord promises mean nothing unless written into your lease agreement
Joint and Several Liability Makes You Responsible for Everything
Your lease probably includes joint and several liability. This clause changes everything about roommate situations.
Here is what it means. You sign a lease with three roommates. Total rent is $2,400 monthly. You assume responsibility for your $600 share. Wrong. Joint and several liability makes each person responsible for 100% of the rent. Not just your portion. The entire amount.
If your roommate stops paying in February, the landlord can demand the full $2,400 from you. Not $600. Not your roommate’s share. Everything. If you cannot pay, you face eviction and credit damage even though you paid your portion on time.
This happens constantly. Roommates move out. Parents stop sending money. Students transfer schools. Someone has a falling out with the group and disappears. When rent stops coming, landlords pursue whoever pays fastest. That usually means the student whose parents have stable income and good credit.
Protect yourself before signing:
Choose roommates who can actually afford the place. Set up individual payment systems where everyone pays the landlord directly. Keep screenshot receipts every month proving you paid your share. Understand that subleasing does not remove your liability. You remain responsible if your subletter stops paying.
Boulder’s Occupancy Limits Carry Serious Penalties
Boulder restricts most rental properties to three unrelated occupants. Four friends splitting a house violates city code even if the landlord says it is fine.
The city defines related strictly. Being roommates does not count. Being in the same friend group does not count. Long-term domestic partnerships usually do not count unless legally married.
Violations bring fines up to $2,000 per day. The city enforces this through neighbor complaints, rental inspections, and periodic enforcement sweeps. When violations are discovered, the city fines property owners and requires occupants to move out. Landlords sometimes pass these fines to tenants or use violations as eviction grounds.
Some landlords actively violate occupancy limits because it is more profitable. They bet they will not get caught. You become part of that bet.
Before signing any lease:
Ask directly whether the property complies with Boulder’s occupancy restrictions. Count how many unrelated people are signing. Check the city’s zoning map for the property address through Boulder’s website. Understand that if forced to move due to violations, you typically cannot recover moving costs or rent already paid.
Co-Signers Take On Full Financial Responsibility
When parents co-sign your lease, they become legally responsible for everything. Not just your share. The entire lease including roommate behavior.
Co-signers guarantee 100% of rent and all damages for the full lease term. If your roommate punches a hole in the wall, your co-signer is liable. If the total group owes $3,000 in unpaid utilities at move-out, your co-signer is liable. Landlords can pursue them directly without trying other options first.
This becomes complicated when one student’s co-signer pays for another student’s behavior. It strains family finances and creates awkward situations between families who never met each other.
Have this conversation with parents before they sign:
Explain they are responsible for all roommates’ actions, not just yours. Ask the landlord if individual leases are available where each tenant signs separately. Consider renters insurance that includes liability coverage. Keep records of shared space conditions with photos.
Security Deposits Require Documentation
Colorado law allows landlords to deduct from security deposits for damage beyond normal wear and tear. The problem is subjective interpretation. Disputes happen constantly.
Landlords must return deposits minus legal deductions within 30 days of move-out with an itemized list. Many do not. Many deduct questionable charges like carpet cleaning fees, painting for minor scuffs, or unitemized cleaning fees.
Students often do not fight back because they have already moved. They feel overwhelmed. They do not know the process. Landlords count on this.
Protect your deposit:
Take timestamped photos and videos of every room, closet, appliance, and surface at move-in. Note existing damage on your move-in inspection form. Request a walk-through inspection with your landlord before move-out. Take the same comprehensive photos at move-out. Send your forwarding address in writing and keep proof.
If landlords make deductions you believe are unfair, dispute them. Colorado provides processes for tenants to recover wrongfully withheld deposits including potential damages if landlords acted in bad faith.
Verbal Promises Mean Nothing Legally
Your landlord says parking is included. They say they will repaint before move-in. They say you can get a cat with a bigger deposit. They say the broken dishwasher will be fixed by September.
If it is not written in your lease, it is not enforceable.
Verbal promises feel binding in the moment. You are standing in the unit. The landlord seems trustworthy. You are excited about the place. You do not want to seem difficult by demanding everything in writing. But memories fade. Landlords change property management companies. Disputes become he-said-she-said situations you cannot win.
Get everything documented:
Request a lease addendum for any promise not already in writing. Follow up verbal conversations with an email confirming what was discussed. Keep all email and text correspondence with your landlord. Take photos and videos of unit condition during tours and at move-in.
Winter Heat Requirements Exist for Serious Reasons
Most Boulder leases require maintaining minimum temperature of 55 degrees during winter even when you are not there. This is not optional. It is not negotiable.
The requirement exists because frozen pipes cause tens of thousands in damage. When pipes freeze and burst, they flood units and damage building infrastructure. Landlords include this clause to prevent catastrophically expensive repairs.
If you turn off heat during winter break and pipes freeze, you are liable for all resulting damage. That can mean $10,000 or more in repairs, displaced neighbors, and legal liability. Your renters insurance may not cover it if damage resulted from violating lease terms.
Before leaving for any break:
Set your thermostat to the minimum temperature your lease requires. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it and check remotely. Let roommates know. Take photos of your thermostat setting before leaving.
Student Legal Services Reviews Leases Free
CU Boulder Student Legal Services employs licensed attorneys who specialize in issues students face including rental housing. They review off-campus leases as part of free services to enrolled students. You already paid through student fees.
During a lease review appointment, an attorney will read your entire lease document. They explain what each section actually means in normal language. They flag terms that are unusual, unfair, or potentially illegal under Colorado law. They answer specific questions about clauses you are worried about.
SLS attorneys have reviewed thousands of Boulder-area leases. They know which landlords use fair agreements and which ones bury bad terms in fine print.
Schedule your review:
SLS is located in UMC 432 on campus. Book appointments online through their website or call directly. During peak leasing season from January through March, appointments fill fast. Schedule as soon as you have a draft lease. Bring roommates if you are all signing the same lease.
Lease Clauses Colorado Law Prohibits
Just because something is in a lease does not mean it is legal in Colorado.
Penalty fees beyond actual damages are unenforceable. Colorado law allows landlords to charge for actual damages they suffer. They cannot impose flat penalty fees. Courts have repeatedly struck down $150 daily late fees or $500 early termination penalties.
Rights waiver clauses are unenforceable. Colorado’s tenant protection laws exist whether or not your lease mentions them. You cannot sign away your right to advance notice before landlord entry or your right to dispute charges.
One-sided attorney fee provisions convert automatically. Colorado law says if a lease includes an attorney fee clause, it must be reciprocal. If you must pay landlord’s legal costs when they win, they must pay yours if you win.
What to Do Right Now
Before signing your next lease, identify which terms actually matter to you. Research comparable apartments to know if you are getting a fair deal. Ask for changes to one or two terms maximum. Get any agreements in writing before signing. Read the entire lease even the boring parts.
Most students sign the first lease put in front of them because they fear losing the apartment. You are allowed to ask questions. You are allowed to negotiate. You are allowed to take 24 hours to think about it.
Landlords expect some back-and-forth. The ones who get pushy when you ask reasonable questions are showing you who they are. Believe them and find a different place.
