Tenant Drama

[Dave Meyer]

I own and live in  a 3-unit property in Denver. I had some new tenants move into the basement 3BR in Sept and have been having some issues. 

One of the tenants complained that a light wasn't working. I paid $400 for an electrician to replace the fixture, and thought it was fine. 3 months later I got a text-message video (very passive aggressive in my opinion) of the light flickering saying the light had never been fixed. 

I knocked on the door later went to take a look at the light, and the tenant just starts screaming in my face about how the light never got fixed. I asked "Did it break again, or has it not worked for three months?" At which point she called me a slew of curse words and slammed the door in my face. It was so strange. 

Her roommate was there, was horrified, apologized, and suggested there were some issues going on in her personal life. 

The problem is that now she literally refuses to speak to me. She literally will not respond to me by email, text, phone, or face to face. She just walks away. She's stopped cleaning up after her dog, won't allow repair people around the house, pays rent very late, and is generally being really difficult. 

What to do? I hate having someone living in the same house as me who is so hostile. Technically it is illegal to not clean up after your dog in Denver, even on private property. She has also paid rent late, which I believe is grounds for evictions. But is it worth it?

She clearly hates me for some reason, so maybe I should just offer to let them out of the lease with no penalty and we can all move on with our lives? Been a landlord for 6+ years and never had to deal with someone this immature. 

[Matt M.]

What does your lease say?   If she is violating your lease in a way that merits an eviction, get her out of there NOW. Look up @Bill S., and either PM him or look at his posts to see who he recommends for an eviction. 

This market is a landlord's dream; find a better tenant. 

$400 for a light is atrocious. I could fly my electrician brother out from Oklahoma to repair it for less than that!