Inherited property, no property managment in place

[April Conaway]

Hello, 

I'm not sure this is the best place to be posting this, but I'm really not sure where this topic fits. My father unexpectedly passed away 7 weeks ago. He had 3 rental properties in Colorado (2 triplexes and a small house). He did not have a property manager, but he did have a local guy who would mow the yards and occasionally make repairs when my dad could not make it to the property in a timely manner. 

I have been trying to help my mom figure out how to run these. One of the units had not paid rent for the last 2 months. The local guy went to check it out and it appeared that the apartment was trashed and abandoned. He removed the remaining items and began repairs. My mom received a call last week from the tenant saying that she had been on vacation and she returned to find everything removed from her apartment. 

We're brand new to this landlord thing and have no idea what to do. I suggested getting a lawyer, but thought I would ask the experts here.

Thank you,

April