Research Corner: Corporate ownership in Colorado's housing market

The federal government recently put a spotlight on institutional investors or corporate entities in the housing market. A Jan. 20 executive order restricts institutional purchases of single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by individual households. The executive order exempts built-to-rent single family home development, which is a quickly growing sector of this industry (which will be the topic of the next research corner). In 2023, the state passed HB 23-1253, which established a task force examining housing ownership to better understand the scope and impact of corporate ownership of housing in Colorado. The task force released their official report in May 2025, and in this week’s research corner, we’ll revisit the report’s findings.  

49,278 units
The total number of corporate-owned units in 2023 across the 17 counties in Colorado where 90% of the state’s housing units and population are located.

3%
The share of corporate owned housing across all “owner occupiable” units in Colorado. This is slightly less than the national average of 3.8 percent.

4.77 units
The average portfolio size of the smallest classification of corporate owners, with portfolio sizes of 3-9 units in 2023. The report indicates that this group likely exerts no market pressure on housing.

2,256.3 units
The average portfolio size of the two “mega owners” (those with portfolios of 1,000 or more units) in 2023.

13%
The share of corporate-controlled inventory in Colorado owned by two “mega owners” in 2023.

I-70 Corridor — North Front Range — Colorado Springs
The three regional concentrations where the share of corporate ownership exceeded the state average. Metro Denver had the highest absolute number of corporate owned units, while Eagle County had the highest share of corporate owned units.

Data is anchored in 2023, the last year for which the most comprehensive data was available when research was conducted.