Eligible renters harmed by Four Star Realty encouraged to file restitution claims with Colorado Attorney General’s Office

June 2, 2025 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser is telling eligible renters to file a claim with his office to receive restitution as part of a $1 million settlement with Four Star Realty announced in 2024. Renters who are eligible should visit coag.gov/fourstar to file a claim.

“For years, Four Star charged renters illegal fees and illegally withheld security deposits, and now many people who were harmed by the company’s actions have an opportunity to get some of their money back in restitution,” said Attorney General Weiser. “While the law limits my office’s ability to get restitution to those who moved out of a Four Star property prior to 2020, I’m pleased that many people will be getting money returned to them after our attorneys review their claims. In addition to this restitution, our settlement with Four Star ensured that the company is now following the law and saving current and future renters financial distress.”

To be eligible for the settlement, a tenant must have moved out of a Four Star property any time between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2023 and incurred charges from Four Star to pay for maintenance, painting, cleaning, rekeying locks, or unlawful moveout coordination fees when they moved out of their apartment.

To receive restitution and speed up the process for reviewing eligibility, eligible renters are encouraged to provide as much documentation as possible to the attorney general’s office when they file their claim. The deadline to file a claim is September 2, and checks will begin to be mailed in November.

On Jan. 9, 2024, Attorney General Weiser announced a $1 million settlement with Four Star Realty, resolving an investigation that found numerous instances of the company illegally charging tenants for routine repairs and other services. Nearly all of the $1 million the company agreed to pay under the settlement was earmarked for restitution.

In addition to paying restitution, the settlement required Four Star to clearly disclose to renters all mandatory rent and fees, comply with state laws related to utility billing, maintain photos and records of property inspections, document withholding of security deposits and provide those records to tenants upon request, and not withhold any money from a tenant’s security deposit unless the amount withheld is directly related to the tenant’s conduct.

The attorney general’s investigation found Four Star, which manages properties that are often rented by college students in Boulder, Fort Collins, Greeley, and Denver, regularly charged tenants for damage they did not cause, billed them for unnecessary work, and charged fees that were not in their leases. While those fees were already illegal under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, a new law passed this year by the state legislature—championed by Attorney General Weiser—clarified fee obligations for landlords and property management companies (opens new window).

Renters who have been charged illegal fees or had their security deposits withheld illegally by Four Star or any other landlord or property management company are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office
lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov