Portable Tenant Screening Reports: When They Save You Money (and When They Don’t)

Rental applications can get expensive fast. You incur costs for applying, screening, and uploading the same documents again, and then you do it all over for the next place.

Colorado’s updated portable tenant screening report rules (HB25-1236, effective January 1, 2026) are meant to reduce that repeat-cost cycle by requiring landlords to accept a valid portable tenant screening report (PTSR) you provide.

This article is the practical guide: when a PTSR can actually save you money, when it probably will not, and how to protect yourself from surprise fees.

The basic idea (in plain English)

A PTSR is a screening report you can reuse across applications.

If you provide a valid PTSR, Colorado’s rules generally mean a landlord must accept it as part of your application review and can’t charge a screening fee for that application.

Key detail: “Valid” usually means it’s within the required time window. For this series, we’re using up to 60 days as the working window.

When a PTSR is most likely to save you money

1) You’re applying to multiple places in a short window

This is the big one.

If you’re touring a few units and applying quickly, a PTSR can help you avoid paying for a new screening report each time.

Practical move:

• Plan your applications inside the same 60-day window.
• Keep a clean folder of your supporting docs (ID, pay stubs, landlord references) so you’re not redoing work.

2) The landlord normally charges a separate screening fee

Some landlords split costs into:

• an application fee (admin)
• a screening fee (background/credit)

A PTSR mainly helps with the screening-fee part.

If you want the full context of how the law works, start with this.

3) You’re competing in a fast market

In a tight rental market, speed matters. A PTSR can reduce back-and-forth by letting you share a complete report up front.

Notice the wording: it can reduce back-and-forth. It doesn’t guarantee approval, and it doesn’t force a landlord to pick you.

When a PTSR may not save you money (common surprises)

1) You only plan to apply to one place

If you’re applying to a single unit and you’re confident you’ll get it, a PTSR may not change your total cost much.

2) The landlord charges an application fee that isn’t a screening fee

Colorado’s PTSR rules focus on screening fees tied to the report.

Some landlords may still charge an application fee for administrative processing. If you want to avoid surprises, ask before you apply:

• “If I provide a portable tenant screening report, what fees (if any) do you still charge, and what are they for?”

Get the answer in writing.

3) Your report is outside the allowed time window

A PTSR is meant to be recent.

If your report is older than the allowed window, a landlord can ask you for an updated report.

Practical move:

• Set a reminder on your calendar for day 45 so you’re not caught off guard.

4) The landlord needs extra documents

A PTSR is a report. It’s not your whole application.

Even with a PTSR, a landlord may still ask for:

• proof of income
• employment verification
• landlord references
• pet documentation

That’s normal. The key is that they shouldn’t use “extra documents” as a way to quietly charge you a screening fee again.

Section 8 / vouchers: where the money question changes

If you’re applying with a housing voucher (Section 8 or another subsidized program), the friction is often less about fees and more about getting treated differently.

Colorado has rules limiting the use of credit information for subsidized applicants (SB23-184), and HB25-1236 updates what a voucher-holder PTSR needs to include.

If you’re in that situation, read Section 8.

A quick “PTSR savings” checklist

Before you pay for anything, run this list:

1. Am I applying to more than one place in the next 60 days?
2. Does the landlord charge a separate screening fee?
3. Can I provide my PTSR up front (PDF/link/print) and keep a copy?
4. Did I ask, in writing, what fees remain if I provide a PTSR?
5. Do I have my supporting docs ready (income, references, ID)?

If you answered “yes” to 1 and 2, a PTSR is more likely to save you money.

Copy/paste scripts (useful, calm, and short)

Script: asking about fees

• “I can provide a portable tenant screening report. If I do, what fees (if any) do you still charge, and what are they for?”

Script: if you’re asked to pay a screening fee anyway

• “I provided a portable tenant screening report within the required time window. Can you confirm why a screening fee is still being charged?”

Script: if they say they won’t accept your report

• “I can share my portable tenant screening report. Can you confirm in writing whether you accept PTSRs, and if not, why?”

If you need the step-by-step application flow, see: How to use a PTSR to apply with less hassle.

A portable tenant screening report won’t magically make renting cheap—but it can help you avoid paying for the same screening twice when you’re applying to multiple places quickly. 

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The biggest wins come from two things you can control: timing your applications inside one window and getting fee answers in writing before you hit “submit.”

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If you take one action after reading this, make it this: keep your PTSR + supporting docs in one clean folder, and ask the fee question up front. It’s the simplest way to reduce surprise charges and keep the process predictable.

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