What rent actually costs in Longmont, and why sources disagree
Three publicly stated figures for the same city, in the same season, don’t agree with each other. Apartments.com lists a $1,659 average across its current Longmont inventory. ApartmentList’s July 2026 City Guide states a $1,605 median, then separately reports $1,845-plus for a one-bedroom and $2,155-plus for a two-bedroom on the same page. HUD’s FY2026 Fair Market Rent schedule puts the Boulder metro area, which includes Longmont, at $1,795 for a one-bedroom and $2,124 for a two-bedroom.
| Source | Stated figure | Unit size | As-of | Fee-inclusive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments.com | $1,659 | All units, blended | Current listings, July 2026 | Not stated |
| ApartmentList | $1,605 | Citywide median | July 2026 report | Not stated |
| ApartmentList | $1,845+ / $2,155+ | 1BR / 2BR | July 2026 report | Excludes fees, per its own methodology note |
| HUD (Boulder MSA) | $1,795 / $2,124 | 1BR / 2BR | FY2026 | Includes utility allowance |
The gap between $1,605 and $1,845-plus is the difference between a mixed-inventory median and a bedroom-specific figure pulled from currently listed units, not a sign that either source made an error.
Why do different apartment sites show different average rents for Longmont?They’re sampling different things: a live-inventory snapshot, which shifts weekly with whatever’s posted, versus a federally computed figure built from multi-year Census survey data. Neither is “the” rent; both are estimates of a moving target.
Longmont by zip code: 80501, 80503, 80504
Zip code predicts walkability in Longmont more reliably than it predicts price, because the city’s newer, car-oriented development sits mostly at the western and eastern edges while the walkable core clusters around Main Street.
| Zip code | Measured Walk Score examples | Character | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80501 | 76–88 near Main St / Old Town (example, example) | Historic downtown core, oldest housing stock, densest retail and dining | Renters who want to walk to bars, restaurants, and the Saturday farmers market |
| 80503 | Ranges from 7 to 69 depending on block (example, example) | Spans both in-town streets and car-dependent subdivisions near McIntosh Lake and the western rural edge | Renters who need to check the exact address, not just the zip, before assuming walkability |
| 80504 | 63–64 near Pace St / 17th Ave (example, example) | Newer southeast subdivisions, wider streets, more off-street parking | Renters prioritizing newer construction over walk-out access |
Longmont’s citywide average sits at 39, pulled down by the car-dependent fringe. Every downtown address checked scored above 75.
Getting around without, or with, a car
RTD’s BOLT bus connects Longmont to Boulder along Highway 119, running roughly every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly evenings and weekends. A full end-to-end trip from Downtown Boulder Station to 23rd Avenue and Main Street in Longmont takes about 58 minutes. No reliable published drive-time figure for the same route could be confirmed at publication, so none is stated here; expect it to run well under the bus time on a clear day and to lengthen on the two-lane sections of 119 during rush hour.
Which Longmont zip code is best for renters without a car?80501, specifically the blocks around Main Street and Old Town, is the only zip in the city where multiple checked addresses score above 75 on Walk Score. Elsewhere, walkability depends on the specific block more than the zip.
What changed in Colorado tenant law for 2026
Colorado’s security deposit cap dropped from two months’ rent to one month’s rent, effective January 1, 2026, under HB 25-1249.
Deposit limits and pet fees
Colorado’s prior statute allowed a landlord to require up to two months’ rent as a deposit. HB 25-1249’s enacted bill text caps that at one month’s rent and requires landlords to let tenants pay it in installments over at least six months if asked. Separately, a pet security deposit is capped at $300, and ongoing monthly pet rent is capped at $35 or 1.5% of monthly rent, whichever is greater, under C.R.S. §38-12-106. Those are two different limits, not one.
The 30- and 60-day return deadline
The statute’s default return window is 30 days after lease termination, extendable to 60 days if the lease specifies it. Miss the deadline without sending a written itemized statement, and the landlord forfeits the right to withhold anything.
What counts as damage versus wear and tear now
HB 25-1249 expanded the legal definition of “normal wear and tear” to include ordinary uncleanliness, unless the unit is left substantially dirtier than at move-in. Landlords can no longer charge for pre-existing damage discovered at move-out. Carpet or paint replacement now requires damage that exceeds normal wear.
| Topic | Pre-2026 rule | 2026 rule |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum deposit | Up to 2 months’ rent | Up to 1 month’s rent, installments over 6+ months on request |
| Return deadline | 1 month, extendable to 60 days by lease | 30 days, extendable to 60 days by lease |
| Wear-and-tear definition | Damage/deterioration from normal use | Also covers ordinary uncleanliness and pre-existing conditions |
| Bad-faith withholding remedy | Treble damages, general standard | Treble damages, detailed statutory criteria, 7-day pre-suit notice required |
A landlord’s paperwork failure is still the single most common way tenants recover a full deposit: miss the written-statement deadline, and every dollar comes back regardless of actual damage.
One further protection sits outside the main statute: HB 25-1168 bars landlords from deducting abuse-related damage from a domestic-violence survivor’s deposit.
How much can a Longmont landlord charge for a security deposit?One month’s rent maximum as of January 1, 2026, plus up to $300 for a pet deposit if you have one. That’s down from a two-month cap under the prior law.
How long does a landlord have to return my deposit in Colorado?30 days after the lease ends, or up to 60 days if your lease says so in writing. Miss that window with no written explanation, and the landlord loses the right to keep any of it.
What renters keep running into
Verified-resident reviews aggregated on Longmont listings by ApartmentList point to a recurring pattern across communities: parking scarcity at peak evening hours, inconsistent trash-valet pickup, and uneven maintenance response times. None of these show up in a standard listing description.
Best time to look, and how fast the market moves
No publicly published, Longmont-specific month-by-month rental seasonality dataset could be located for this page. The one dated trend figure available is ApartmentList’s July 2026 report, which shows the median roughly flat month over month and down 1.4% year over year. That’s a single data point, not a calendar. A more reliable signal than any fixed month is the count of active listings at the zip level on the day you’re searching.
If you qualify for income-restricted housing
Longmont Housing Authority manages 513 units, and its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waitlist is currently closed, though the public housing waitlist status can change. Boulder County income limits for a four-person household are $35,050 at 30% AMI, $58,450 at 50% AMI, and $80,400 at 80% AMI. Ascent at Hover Crossing, Longmont’s newest affordable community, opened its first units in 2026 with one- to four-bedroom apartments capped at 80% AMI, including four-bedroom units that are rare in affordable housing inventory generally.
How do I find income-restricted apartments in Longmont?Start with the Longmont Housing Authority directly for public housing and voucher programs, and check individual income-restricted communities like Ascent at Hover Crossing separately, since they run their own waitlists outside the housing authority’s.
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