Quick answer: If you're downsizing from an Anthem home and want it to keep earning, plan on a lease of 30 days or more, because Broomfield's code bans short-term rentals of a home that isn't your principal residence. To keep the home-sale exclusion, IRS Publication 523 requires 24 months of living there in the 5 years before closing.
By Nick Ahrens, Colorado real estate broker license FA.100104470, eXp Realty, LLC
Updated October 19, 2026. First published August 9, 2026.
What are your options if you downsize but want your Anthem home to keep earning?
3 paths are realistic once you move out: sell now, lease the home for 30 days or more and keep it, or lease it for a while and then sell. Each one trades something different:
Sell now: you free the equity for the next home and step away from landlord work. You give up future rent and any future gain in value.
Lease and keep: you keep the home and collect rent, but you take on tenants, repairs, and Colorado landlord rules, and your equity stays in the house.
Lease, then sell: you collect rent for a set period, then sell while you may still meet the IRS tests for the home-sale exclusion. It only works if the dates line up.
A short-term rental is missing from that list on purpose. In Broomfield it is only allowed in a home you still live in, as the next section explains.
If you are selling and buying in the same move, start with my sell-and-move plan for Anthem homes. If your next home is in Anthem Ranch, I cover the timing in sell first or buy first when moving to Anthem Ranch.
Sources and as-of dates: Broomfield Municipal Code chapter 5-39 and the City and County of Broomfield's Short Term Rentals and Licenses pages (checked October 18, 2026), Zillow's 80023 rental market page (updated October 15, 2026), Redfin's Anthem market page and sold list (all prices, pulled October 18, 2026), IRS Publication 523 (2025), the Fannie Mae Selling Guide (B3-3.8-05, dated September 2, 2026), and the Colorado General Assembly's HB24-1098 page.
Can you Airbnb your Broomfield home after you move out?
30 days is the line. Broomfield Municipal Code chapter 5-39 defines a short-term rental in section 5-39-010(A) as "the rental of all or a portion of the property owner's principal residence for less than thirty days," and section 5-39-050 says "The short term rental of a residence which is not the principal residence of the property owner is hereby prohibited."
The code also says when a home is presumed not to be your principal residence. Section 5-39-010(B) lists these among the triggers:
Days offered: "the entire unit is offered and available for rental for more than twenty days in any month"
Your ID and records: "the person's driver's license, voter registration ... shows a different residence address"
If either applies, the code says "it shall be presumed that the dwelling unit in question is not a principal residence."
For a home you still live in, the city's Short Term Rentals page lists a $100 application fee, a license valid for 5 years, and a review that may take up to 3 weeks. Section 5-39-060 adds sales tax and lodging tax licenses.
So once you have moved out, the income option is a lease of 30 days or more. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm the current rules with the Broomfield City Clerk's office before you advertise.
What does a long-term rental in 80023 bring in, and what does it cost to hold?
$3,932 a month is the average asking rent for a 4-bedroom in the 80023 zipcode, across all property types, on Zillow's 80023 rental market page, updated October 15, 2026. The same page shows:
All rentals in 80023: $2,895 average asking rent, up $145 from a year earlier.
Supply: 54 rentals available.
Range: $1,190 to $5,600 a month.
These are asking rents for the whole zipcode, not signed leases on larger Anthem homes. A bigger home needs its own rent comps from nearby leases.
On the sale side, Redfin's Anthem market page shows an $843,000 median sale price and 29 median days on market for all prices in its Anthem area over the 3 months ending September 2026. At the top of that market, my count of Redfin's Anthem sold list filtered to $1 million and up shows 12 sales from $1,000,000 to $1,650,000 in the last 3 months, pulled October 18, 2026. Redfin's Anthem area includes Anthem Ranch.
Before any rent is income, the home has to carry these costs every month, leased or not:
Property taxes: see how Broomfield property taxes work.
Insurance: a policy written for a rental, not just your owner's policy.
HOA dues and any metro district charges on your tax bill.
Management, if you hire a property manager.
Vacancy between tenants.
Repairs and a reserve for big items like a roof or furnace.
I don't put a dollar figure on each line here because they vary by home. I build them from your actual tax bill, HOA statement, and insurance quote.
Want both columns run on your home?
I will prepare a broker CMA of your home and a market-rent estimate from 3 nearby leases, so you can compare selling with leasing.
Call or text me: 949-230-3625
How long can you rent it out and still use the home-sale exclusion?
24 months of living in the home during the 5 years before closing is the residence test in IRS Publication 523, alongside 24 months of ownership, for excluding up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 if married filing jointly.
Here is what the publication says, in plain terms:
The months don't have to be in a row. Pub 523: "The 24 months of residence can fall anywhere within the 5-year period, and it doesn't have to be a single block of time."
What that means for a rental: if you lived there at least 2 of the years before you moved out, the 5-year lookback usually leaves about 3 years after you move out to close and still meet the test.
Renting after you move out is not "nonqualified use." Pub 523 excludes from nonqualified use "Any portion of the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale or exchange after the last date you or your spouse (or former spouse) used the property as your main home." So the exclusion does not shrink a little each year the home is rented inside that window. You either meet the tests at closing or you don't, and a partial exclusion applies only in situations the IRS lists.
Depreciation is separate. Pub 523: "you can't exclude the part of your gain equal to any depreciation allowed or allowable as a deduction for periods after May 6, 1997."
I explain the rule; I don't give tax advice. Talk to a CPA or tax advisor about your situation before you decide. For more on how a sale is taxed, see capital gains tax when you sell a Denver-area home.
Can rent from your Anthem home help you qualify for the next mortgage?
75% of the monthly gross rent, minus the payment on the home you're leaving, is how Fannie Mae's Selling Guide section B3-3.8-05, dated September 2, 2026, has a lender figure qualifying rent from a departing residence. The key lines:
Rent amount: documented with an appraisal that includes market rents, a comparable rent schedule (Form 1007), or market tools such as Zillow, Redfin, or MLS with at least 3 comparable rentals.
No lease: "Lease agreements are not permitted for any departing residence."
Offset only: if the result is positive, it can offset only the departing home's own payment; if it is negative, it counts in your debt-to-income ratio.
Reserves: the lender must verify "six months of reserves to cover the PITIA obligation for the vacated property when the borrower has less than 12 months of property management experience."
This is general information, not lending advice. Talk to a lender about what you qualify for. If you want the next home before this one is sold or leased, compare your options to buy before you sell in Broomfield.
What Colorado and HOA rules come with leasing it out?
1 Colorado law, HB24-1098, generally requires a landlord to have cause to evict a residential tenant, and it took effect April 19, 2024. Talk to a Colorado real estate attorney before you sign a lease on a home you may want to sell.
A few more checks before you list it for rent:
Your HOA: leasing limits, if any, are in your association's recorded declaration and rules. Read yours before you advertise.
City licensing: Broomfield's Licenses page lists a license for rentals of less than 30 days. Confirm current rules for longer leases with the City Clerk's office.
If you move out of state: a later sale can trigger Colorado withholding at closing. I cover it in Colorado's 2% withholding for out-of-state sellers.
How do you decide, and what should you run before you list or lease?
4 numbers decide it: your net from a sale, a market rent from 3 nearby leases, your full monthly cost to hold the home, and the last date you could close and still meet the IRS tests.
Choose to sell if:
You need the equity for the next home.
Your IRS window would close before you would sell anyway.
You don't want to manage a rental from a distance.
Choose to lease and keep if:
Market rent from real comps covers the full holding cost, with room for vacancy and repairs.
A lender has confirmed you qualify for the next home under Fannie Mae's 75% rule, or without the rent.
You have reviewed the tax trade-off with a CPA.
Choose to lease, then sell, if:
You want rent for a set period and you lived there at least 2 of the years before you moved out, so the lookback usually leaves about 3 years after you move out to close.
You can line the lease end up with that date, with an attorney's help on the lease terms.
Choose a short-term rental only if:
The home stays your principal residence and you hold a Broomfield license.
To see what you would walk away with, start with what you net selling a Broomfield home, then request a broker CMA, or call or text me at 949-230-3625.
What this guide does not cover: how much tax you would owe or how to reduce it, 1031 exchanges, investing in vacation rentals, each Anthem association's leasing rules, property manager picks, or the Anthem Ranch buy-and-sell sequence. For taxes, talk to a CPA or tax advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent my Broomfield home on Airbnb after I move out?
Not as a short-term rental. Broomfield Municipal Code section 5-39-050 prohibits short-term rentals (less than 30 days) of a home that is not the owner's principal residence, and a licensed short-term rental must be the owner's principal residence. A lease of 30 days or more is the option once you have moved out.
How long can I rent out my house and still exclude the gain when I sell?
IRS Publication 523 requires 24 months of ownership and 24 months of living there in the 5 years before closing. If you lived there at least 2 of the years before you moved out, that usually leaves about 3 years after you move out to close. Depreciation is not excluded. Talk to a CPA or tax advisor.
Can rental income from my old home help me qualify for a new mortgage?
Under Fannie Mae Selling Guide section B3-3.8-05, a lender uses 75% of the monthly market rent minus the departing home's payment, lease agreements are not permitted, and six months of reserves may be required. Talk to a lender about what you qualify for.
Do I need a license to rent out my Broomfield home long term?
Broomfield's Licenses page lists a license for rentals of less than 30 days. Confirm current rules for longer leases with the City Clerk's office, and check your HOA's recorded declaration for leasing limits.
About Nick Ahrens
Nick Ahrens is a Colorado real estate broker (license FA.100104470) with eXp Realty, LLC, specializing in Anthem, Anthem Highlands, and Baseline in Broomfield (80023). He prices homes with a broker-prepared comparative market analysis built from same-type local sales. Call or text 949-230-3625.
