How to Deal With Bad Tenants in Fort Collins
Try To Be Understanding
While you should treat your investment(s) like a business, there is a time and place to be human. Sometimes good people find themselves in a tough situation. If an otherwise wonderful, long-term tenant is late on rent, you don’t necessarily have to evoke the highest penalty outlined in the lease. If you have an excellent renter with only one minor infraction, it is best to overlook the problem as opposed to potentially losing a great tenant.Stick to Your Guns
You can only be understanding to a point. Once it goes beyond that, you might find that you are dealing with a tenant who is looking for ways to skip out on rent or repairs. If you let someone pay rent late once, they are likely to want to do it again, and again, and again… Be firm with your policy regarding rent payment. While there are situations where you can be flexible, simply not having rent isn’t an excuse. This can be one of the most difficult parts of being a landlord and why many investors hire a property manager to collect rent on their behalf.Document Everything
Any and all interactions should be recorded and saved. Write down conversation notes with a time and date, save all texts, emails and any written contact. Take pictures as needed. In situations where damage has occurred or repairs are required.Hire a Property Manager
As mentioned above, hiring a property manager can take the pain out of collecting rent. However, that is not all they do. A property manager will: screen prospective tenants, take care of maintenance, advertise your rentals, handle tenant issues and complaints and even deal with the eviction process on your behalf. If you are managing multiple units, hiring a property manager will save you a ton of time and headaches!Eviction Process
Hopefully, you won’t ever have to deal with the eviction process as a landlord. It is a long and stressful process that varies state to state. First of all, you need to have a good reason to ask the tenant to move. They need to have broken the lease or be behind on rent. At NO point are you allowed to take matters into your own hands, even if they are causing property damage! You will need a court order to remove the tenant’s belongings or change the locks. You will want the courts to see you have done everything right so that they will have no choice but to be on your side in the matter. You will need to provide a formal notice of eviction that includes the day they need to pay by and the amount owed if they want to stay. Place it on their front door and send certified mail so you can prove it has been received. You will have to file with the courts and go through a hearing if the tenant still refuses to move. It is at this point you will be glad you documented everything! Bad tenants are few and far between. With careful screening and an iron-clad lease, you can ensure a peaceful living environment for all of your tenants!Are you dealing with bad tenants in Fort Collins? We can help! Send us a message or give our office a call today! 970-682-3306
Selling a rental in Colorado? Grail Capital buys tenant-occupied property with the lease in place, so you do not have to end a tenancy in order to sell. See how our process works or get a no-obligation cash offer.
Related guides
- Navigating the Legal Landscape: How to Remove Squatters from Your Colorado Property
- How Quickly Can I Sell My Colorado Home and Receive the Profits?
- What Paperwork Do I Need to Sell My Home in Colorado?
We buy tenant-occupied rentals across the Front Range, including Arvada, Thornton and Westminster. See every Colorado city we buy in.
Your four realistic options, in order of cost
Most landlords work through the same sequence. Negotiate first — a payment plan or a cash-for-keys agreement is almost always cheaper and faster than the alternative. Evict second, if negotiation fails; in Colorado that means proper written notice and a county court filing, and it takes time even when you are clearly in the right. Other legal remedies third — a money judgment for unpaid rent or damages is available, but collecting on it is a separate problem from winning it. Sell last, if the property has stopped being an investment and started being a second job.
After a tenant trashes the place: pursue them, or cut your losses?
The instinct is to go after the tenant. Before you do, price the outcome honestly. Deposits rarely cover serious damage. A judgment is only worth what you can actually collect, and a tenant who stopped paying rent often has nothing to collect from. Weigh the likely recovery against the filing fees, the attorney time and the months the unit sits empty while you pursue it.
Then price the repair separately. If the damage is cosmetic, fixing it and re-renting usually wins. If it runs to subfloors, plumbing, mould or a full gut of the kitchen and baths, you are deciding whether to reinvest tens of thousands into a property that has already cost you money and patience. Selling as-is and letting the buyer absorb the repair is a legitimate answer, not an admission of defeat.
Why landlords actually decide to sell
It is rarely one disaster. It is the accumulation — the work, the time, the cost and the stress. The work never fully stops: screening, maintenance, turnovers, the call on a Sunday night. The time is unpredictable and always arrives when you have least of it. The cost compounds quietly through vacancy, repairs, taxes, insurance and the months of rent you never collected. And the stress is the part no spreadsheet captures. When those four add up to more than the property returns, selling stops being giving up and starts being the rational call.
Written by Luke Angerhofer, founder of Grail Capital and an active Colorado employing real estate broker (licence ER 100018905, issued 2007). Luke began his career as a licensed Colorado real estate appraiser and has been buying houses directly from Front Range homeowners since founding Grail Capital in 2016. Grail Capital buys across Northern Colorado and the Denver metro. This article is general information about Colorado real estate and is not legal, tax or financial advice. More about Luke and Grail Capital.