Q: Can you establish tenancy in the state of Colorado if you do not pay rent?
I've lived with my grandparents for two years and I'm wondering if I have tenant's rights.
A:
Yes and no. Technically, rent payments are not required to establish a landlord-tenant agreement. However, this determination is based on the general circumstances of the situation meaning an arms-length transaction in which one person gives something of value to the other (this can be labor). This means that most family-tenant agreements do not create a landlord tenant agreement.
It gets complex because if relatives terminate a rent-free arrangement for relatives/significant others the police will not usually forcibly evict a person without a formal eviction notice certified by a court. Of course, the relative/landlord can always participate in self-help (meaning remove all the tenant's property), but the relative must provide prior notice (maybe as long as a month) and generally must protect the "tenant's" property for a period of time. When self-help does occur, most people do not follow the law (but most tenant's do not challenge the issue in court, so nothing happens).
In short, your legal situation is unclear, but you are afforded some minimal protections (assuming that a true landlord-tenant relationship has NOT been established).
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