Tenant Property Destruction in Lakewood, CO

[Melinda O'Brien]

Hi, I had a tenant who recently moved out at the end of their lease and upon final walk through, we discovered that the townhouse has been completely destroyed beyond what the security deposit will cover. They were the very first tenants to live in the townhouse after we purchased it and did a complete rehab including new wood flooring (destroyed & scratched), new base boards and trim (chewed & scratched by their dog), new granite counters (stained), new appliances (all dinged & scratched), all new light fixtures (electrical not working & light bulbs removed), newer carpet (horribly stained, smells like cat urine when no cat was approved & torn), new paint (holes kicked through in multiple places), doors have holes kicked through, door handle on sliding door ripped off, etc. The tenant lived in the townhouse for about 3.5 years, and while I received 2 complaints due to not picking up after their dog from the HOA that resulted in small fines that they paid, they pretty much always paid their rent on time and I didn't receive maintenance requests. The carpets are my biggest concern due to the horrible smell, do I need to attempt to clean them or can I just go straight to replacement? Also is it worth it to seek civil or criminal charges against them? And are there any considerations I need to think about given the current COVID-19 state?