Landlords must follow established legal processes in eviction matters. If they don’t work within this system – including taking steps related to tenant notice and properly presenting their case in a lawsuit – there’s a good chance the situation will drag on far longer than necessary.
Our client owns a rental property, a single-family home in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood. His tenant was two months behind in paying rent, claiming our client failed to make certain repairs or respond in a timely manner to these requests. (Subsequently, in a later hearing the tenant admitted she was between jobs and didn’t have the funds to pay the rent.)
We posted an eviction notice and the tenant did not respond. We then filed an eviction lawsuit, but before going to court we attempted to resolve the matter through mediation. The tenant still refused to give up possession of the home. Finally, in an expedited hearing, the Court granted our client possession of the property.
Matters are still pending at this time relating to compensation for property damages caused by the tenant. Strictly from a business perspective, we’ve suggested to our client that he stop pursuing these damages through the legal system, and instead put those legal fees and his attention toward upgrading the property and finding new renters.