It really shocked Mike Moon when he found out what his renters were doing in his renting home.
Late in April, in the early hours of the morning, more than 300 police officers from about 10 federal organizations swarmed Moon’s property.
Cops found cocaine, pink cocaine, and meth during the raid. Also, they held more than 100 people and caught two people who already had warrants out for their arrest.
Jonathan Pullen, the chief DEA agent, told reporters at Denver7 that many of the people they arrested will be charged with federal immigration crimes. The Drug Enforcement Administration says the building was being illegally used as a bar. There are now links between it and gangs, drug trafficking, murder, and prostitution.
What response did the owner give?
It was planned that they would leave by the end of the month, Moon told the press. He also said he was shocked and confused when he found out what his former tenants did on the house.
Moon said the lease agreement said the room could be used for events like birthdays, weddings, and quinceañeras. There were strict rules in the lease that said tenants couldn’t serve alcohol on the land.
Moon also said that he had been planning a renovation and conversion job for 18 months, and the lease was about to end.
Reporters asked Moon about the tenants who let this happen. He said that he was shocked because of “the political climate and all the news that’s happening around the country that they thought this was even a good idea to do something illegal like this.”
What do landlords have the right to do when renters damage the property?
In Colorado, both renters and landlords are protected by the law.
State laws say that tenants must follow any lease terms that their landlord makes, as long as they don’t break any fair housing laws.
Like, if a renter “commits a material violation of the rental agreement,” the landlord can kick them out. In Moon’s case, the tenants did things that were against the law on the land. This was also not in line with what the property was meant to be used for as an event place.
Most likely, the owner will have to show proof that the tenant is breaking the lease in this case. Law says the owner has to write a “Demand for Compliance or Right to Possession” notice and give the tenant a certain amount of time, usually three business days, to fix the problem or leave.
A landlord can evict a renter for “no fault” reasons, which is different from “for cause” reasons. In these cases, they can just not renew the lease. Moon, for example, told the renters that he was taking back the house to use it for something else.
Moon may also be able to kick the renters out or call the police because they were breaking the law by living there.
What can landlords do to keep themselves safe?
A lot of the time, experts tell us that rental homes that bring in cash are a good investment. But this only works if the renters keep their end of the deal and aren’t a pain to deal with.
If you’re an owner, the best way to protect yourself is to do something before you rent to someone.
When you rent out your home, be careful when choosing tenants and don’t just go with your “gut instinct.”
Carefully look over tenant applications and ask for details like their business license and registration (if they want to rent the property for business reasons). Meet with the applicants in person, ask for references, and do security checks. Before you rent from a business, you can check their credit report and see if they’ve paid their rent in the past. Even if everything is in its place, that doesn’t mean it’s a good light.