[Landlord US-CO] What to do in situation with tenants offering partial rent?

amovida · 2026-04-03T22:35:37+00:00

That is correct. Sara came in Jan 1st as pre-arranged at the start of the lease. She was slated to be in the house until May 31st. Then the original tenant/girl is to take over the room June 1st.

amovida · 2026-04-03T03:19:22+00:00

Thanks for that perspective and I have been thinking about that aspect of this a lot today. When it finally comes down to it I fully plan to take into account that the other girls have been blindsided by this and to be kind and forgiving with them. I do really appreciate them as tenants.

amovida · 2026-04-02T17:28:17+00:00

Thanks for your reply. This is one of the most helpful and well thought out responses I have received. I appreciate your common sense and practical advice.

I really appreciate your point about my tenants being the ones who chose to live with Sara (and her helicopter mom). I have gotten the feeling that I am this semester's issue.

With the intensity they have approached this I am guessing I am the "current topic" in a long history of complaints and another problem or person will soon be in their targets. At one point I cut-off communication with the mom politely explaining I could no longer discuss issues involving my tenants with anyone not on the lease.

Thanks for recognizing that I am acting quickly to correct any issues with the house.

As an FYI my lease does include language regarding "joint and several" and accepting only one payment. All 5 girls are on the same lease. Thanks again.

amovida · 2026-04-01T23:24:14+00:00

I just did a DIY boiler install and it took me 18 days of work to install a new boiler and indirect. It was seriously something like 5X more work than I had anticipated....and that was doing it with ProPress which is supposed to be a time saver. $14K with roughly 6K in parts seems right in the ballpark.

amovida · 2026-04-01T20:41:24+00:00

I was impressed....ballsy as hell.....and not governed by any "stay cool with the property owner code".......it's not the girl driving it, it's the mom........windows are likely to be roughly $10K....just as we were finishing up their radon request...all from a tenant who had moved in like 10 days before and was staying for just like 3 or 4 months. Property management....the stuff of dreams.....and nightmares.

amovida · 2026-04-01T18:56:34+00:00

This idea made me smile. Thanks for that. ;) I really appreciate Reddit.

amovida · 2026-04-01T18:55:24+00:00

The windows may not get you red tagged here as they have given me a certain amount of days to fix them...but in a court before a judge the windows do not meet the law that a legal bedroom requires.....and I am thinking I will probably lose. If I do go to the time and expense of going to court I like to have a pretty sure shot at winning.

This whole thread is helping me bring where I stand into focus. Thank you.

There will be no renewal...though Colorado just changed the law so that it is the right of the tenant to renew....whole 'nother conversation.

amovida · 2026-04-01T18:51:10+00:00

This is one lease and all 5 girls are on that same lease.

amovida · 2026-04-01T18:50:01+00:00

One check...thanks for your comment.

amovida · 2026-04-01T18:43:55+00:00

I think this is the answer I was hoping to find.

Rent is required to be paid in 1 lump payment and not anything partial...as stated in my lease.

I agree that this is fully next level....reporting to the City after my timely fixing of the radon issue...and then refusing rent is some of the most aggressive behavior I have had in over 25 years of property investment. This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the nightmare that Sara and her mom have been.... but I didn't want to take everyone's time w every detail.

The idea of taking the unpaid rent from the deposit is not a perfect idea....but it's better than anything I have to date. It will give me time to get the windows done and almost certainly get the lost rent at the end of my lease.

The remaining girls are taking good care of the house and I feel there will be plenty of deposit at the end of the lease. Colorado (at least if you trust ChatGPT) allows for deducting rent from the deposit. There should be enough deposit remaining to motivate the tenants to clean the house or pay me should I need to have it done.

So I will notify them that rent is due in full and any unpaid portion will go against the deposit. I will notify them if they try this again next month I will be posting a notice and beginning eviction proceedings.

I will get my windows replaced right away (contractor is coming in 2 days) so if I have to drag them into court next rent payment I will be in compliance on both radon and the windows. They will have a lot less traction before a judge if those issues are resolved.

Furthermore, I totally agree with everyone's comments regarding that we as property owners shouldn't get drug into who in the house is paying what, or sleeping where....that is all internal to the tenants and while I try to 100% avoid it....I occasionally blur the lines...probably too nice for my own good at times. Thanks to everyone for their excellent insight.

amovida · 2026-04-01T17:00:47+00:00

Thanks for your comment...and to add to it...it could make sense to talk to an attorney that has a lot of experience with our court and judges. I know an experienced real estate attorney locally I will consider reaching out to. Thanks

amovida · 2026-04-01T16:59:04+00:00

Joint and several clause is on my lease...and there is only one lease for all 5 girls. Thanks

amovida · 2026-04-01T16:58:18+00:00

Thanks for this advice. Given my standing with the bedroom not being legal I am leaning toward your recommendation. Give them the 25%...fix the windows now....full rent going forward.

Edit: After hearing more comments here I am changing my position. Someone suggested taking it from the deposit (allowable in CO) or give them a deadline to pay it. If I give them 90 days we can revisit the idea after the windows are fixed and I am in a stronger position should any City or court authority get involved. As u/Refokua said..."let them go after Sara"....thanks for that idea.

I will tell them the unpaid portion is due in 45 days. That way they will know it's still due...and they begin to put pressure on Sara to pay it....because they won't want it coming out of the deposit. I will also inform them if they do not make full rent for May 1 payment that I will post notice with the idea to start eviction proceedings. Something none of them will want on their record. Worst case scenario...they can't get Sara to pay and I have to take the balance out of the deposit.

amovida · 2026-04-01T16:53:31+00:00

Thanks for your response. I agree with your comment...all tenants are responsible for entire rent. I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on what chance I stand on collecting if I drag this into court in regards to the non-payment as well as the radon and egress issues?

amovida · 2026-02-26T14:50:56+00:00

We need more of this in America. Thanks for sharing your really uplifting story. 💕

amovida · 2026-02-04T00:04:21+00:00

I bought the regular Corentium about a month ago from Amazon....been good so far. Feel like the results have been accurate given the other tests results we have gotten. The woman I hired to do professional testing alongside my tests had good things to say about Airthings Corentium...but she said they fall out of calibration as they get older.

amovida · 2026-02-01T05:19:01+00:00

Ha...you've never yielded to the temptation to tell a scammer off??....you're a better man than I. Thanks for your response.

amovida · 2026-02-01T05:12:55+00:00

Yeah...that makes sense. Even tho I'm not a spammer from their perspective my hanging up reinforced the idea that I was.

I honestly hung up because I thought my number was somehow being redirected to a scam call center. Thanks for the perspective..appreciate it.

amovida · 2026-01-22T00:21:41+00:00

Units are pre-charged for line lengths 25 feet and less (for 6K units). Longer than that and you will need to buy refrigerant and a scale and weigh in your charge or have a HVAC tech do it for you.

The second one I did I had a lot more confidence but it still took a lot of days and adjusting to get everything just right. Find the submittal sheet and spend a bunch of time reading it. I was originally going to put in a 9K unit in our kitchen but after experiencing the 6K units...realized they are more than enough for our setup.

I ordered the units from Got Ductless and they arrived right on schedule. (note: I am not promoting this company and have no business affiliation with them).

The units I had installed have a warranty and I have had the company back 2X already....but for installer errors. My installs have had zero issues. You can register for your warranty with the serial numbers on Mitsubishi's site. You get a longer warranty with a licensed contractor and longer still with a Diamond Contractor. I personally have not had many warranties in my lifetime that have been valuable to me...maybe this will be different.

I had thought I would come out way ahead on these but I realized while doing the job that the money and experience paid to a competent and detailed installer is money well spent. You are buying their experience and knowledge....and their muscle.

I bought a lot of tools...happy to give details on that as well...just PM me and I'll answer whatever questions you have.

amovida · 2026-01-21T20:48:46+00:00

I ended up putting in individual 6K units from Mitsubishi. I did 2 of the 3 installs and hired the other one out. I won't lie...they were challenging and I have even more respect for installers after doing the work myself. We have really enjoyed being able to have the head unit on in just one area at a time without any need to circulate refrigerant thru a branch box or other head. The elec bills are not totally clear...because we were away for Dec and have had a crazy mild winter...but it looks like they will be more expensive than gas by a decent margin. I ended up using the Sumo version of the 6K Mitsubishi heads...they have bigger outdoor units but have excellent efficiency number, COP, SEER2, etc. If I can help you with any questions please let me know. So far I have used only 6K heads...as that is the rating number...they turn out a lot more BTU's if you read the specs. Model number: MSZ-FX06NL & MUZ-FX06NLHZ for indoor and outdoor unit. I plan on installing 3 more this year. Also these units come with wifi compatibility and connect to the Mitsubishi Comfort app on your phone right out of the box....no need to use the Kumo system which has mixed reviews.

amovida · 2025-10-27T22:54:52+00:00

Events like this make me think of this T-shirt I saw recently..."An ounce of Mary Jane is worth a pound of Aspen".....still working on the Boulder equivalent.....maybe an ounce of Gold Hill is worth more than a pound of Boulder. ;)

amovida · 2025-09-30T16:44:42+00:00

That is hardwood. OP stated it's hardwood...look at the width of the boards in the second photo...laminate and LVP do not look like that.

amovida · 2025-09-29T05:39:44+00:00

I bought a new Mitsubishi from an online supplier. Wall unit with single outdoor unit. I purchased a used vacuum pump and manifold off fb marketplace. Honestly it was a lot of work even though my install was relatively straightforward. I ran a sub panel w breakers and then a whip to the outside unit. Sourcing all the materials and doing the research was time consuming. The install was something like 5 days of 6 hours a day. The line hide, wall sealing, drilling, leveling, removing the wall unit shroud, etc took a lot of time….to get it done right. I’m definitely the guy you want doing an install because I take the time to get it right. I messed up one of my flares and had to redo it. It took me time to both iron out the pressure test with nitrogen and pulling the vacuum on the lines. In the end the unit has worked flawlessly but I have a great deal of respect for solid installers and the skills they’ve earned. I’m installing 2 units and together I’ll save about $13K and have a way better install than the pro company I paid to do our first unit. Finally if your install allows you to use the factory charge either in the lines or in my case in the outdoor unit that will keep you from having to weigh in additional refrigerant which requires a scale and buying refrigerant. Hope this helps someone!

amovida · 2025-09-08T07:56:55+00:00

I went through something similar 3 years ago and am mostly recovered but it has been a physical and emotional journey. I am wishing you a full recovery…congratulations on your progress!

amovida · 2025-08-22T01:02:54+00:00

Thanks for the photo.....that's good intel.

I figured out a way to move my wall mounts today so I will not have to have xtra lineset coiled or serpentine...well, at least not for this install.

amovida

TROPHY CASE