Risks of Having a Vacant Rental Property

Risks of Having a Vacant Rental Property

Key Takeaways Insurance Coverage Can Change: Review your insurance requirements before a vacancy begins, as extended vacancies may affect coverage conditions. Small Problems Can Escalate Quickly: Schedule regular property checks to catch maintenance issues before they...

10 DIY Landlord Mistakes to Avoid

10 DIY Landlord Mistakes to Avoid

Key Takeaways Run It Like a Business: Successful DIY landlords avoid emotional decision-making and treat pricing, repairs, and tenant decisions with a professional mindset. Build Strong Systems: Proper tenant screening, solid lease agreements, preventive maintenance,...

What to Include in a Rental Agreement

What to Include in a Rental Agreement

Key Takeaways Legal Foundation of the Lease: A rental agreement is a legally binding contract that defines financial responsibilities, property rules, maintenance duties, and dispute resolution processes between landlords and tenants. Reduces Risk and Confusion: Clear...

How to Keep Your Tenants Happy

How to Keep Your Tenants Happy

Key Takeaways Happier Tenants, Better Results: Happy tenants are more likely to renew leases, pay rent on time, and take better care of your rental property. Communication & Maintenance: Clear communication, fast maintenance responses, and thoughtful property...

One Missed Lead Paint Step Can Trigger Fines, Lawsuits, and Triple Damages

One Missed Lead Paint Step Can Trigger Fines, Lawsuits, and Triple Damages

A lot of landlords assume lead-based paint compliance is one of those old federal rules that mostly matter on paper. There’s a disclosure form somewhere in the lease packet, maybe an old pamphlet got handed out years ago, and that is probably good enough.
It is not.
If you rent out housing built before 1978, federal law requires specific disclosures before the tenant signs. If you do renovation work that disturbs painted surfaces, a separate set of lead-safe renovation rules may apply. And if you miss those requirements, the consequences are not theoretical. HUD guidance states that lead disclosure violations can carry civil money penalties of up to $21,018 per violation, with the amount adjusted over time, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says landlords, sellers, and agents who fail to provide the required notices and information can be liable for triple damages.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Rentals

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Rentals

Key Takeaways Revenue vs. Stability: Short-term rentals can generate higher peak income but with variable occupancy, while long-term rentals offer steady, predictable monthly income. Management Demands: Short-term rentals require active, hospitality-style management,...

Essential Tips for Accidental Landlords

Essential Tips for Accidental Landlords

Key Takeaways Manage Rentals Confidently: Even if you didn’t plan to be a landlord, following practical strategies and tips can help you handle all aspects of property management. Screen Tenants & Use Clear Leases: Carefully selecting reliable residents and having...

Tenant Estoppel Certificate 

Tenant Estoppel Certificate 

Key Takeaways Use a tenant estoppel certificate to confirm rent, deposits, lease dates, and any amendments in writing before a property sale closes. Send the form to tenants about 10 to 30 days before closing, then compare what they sign against the lease and seller...

Refinancing Your Rental Property Mortgage

Refinancing Your Rental Property Mortgage

Key Takeaways Refinancing can lower your mortgage rate, improve cash flow, and unlock home equity. Lenders apply stricter qualification standards for investment properties compared to primary residences. The right refinancing strategy depends on your goals, whether...

Denver Summer Events to Know: Late May and June 2026

Denver Summer Events to Know: Late May and June 2026

Summer in Denver does not ease in quietly. By the end of May, the city is already moving into festival season, with outdoor concerts, cultural celebrations, neighborhood events, art festivals, ballgames, and Pride programming filling the calendar. For Denver...

How To Recognize and Avoid Rental Scams

How To Recognize and Avoid Rental Scams

Key Takeaways Scammers target landlords by duplicating listings and impersonating property owners, which can result in unauthorized access, financial loss, and reputational damage. Monitoring your online presence is essential. Clear communication and consistent...

What Should I Do if My House Won’t Sell?

What Should I Do if My House Won’t Sell?

Key Takeaways We help Denver property owners get unstuck when a rental won’t sell: From evaluating your price to enhancing curb appeal, we identify what’s holding your listing back and create a strategy that works. We guide you through simple updates, staging, and...

Tax Season Tips for Landlords

Tax Season Tips for Landlords

Key Takeaways Simplify Landlord Tax Filing: Stay ahead of tax season by separating personal and rental finances, creating monthly reports, and keeping detailed records to avoid costly errors. Maximize Deductions and Compliance: Understand tax laws and take advantage...

Top Denver Spring Activities to Enjoy in 2025

Top Denver Spring Activities to Enjoy in 2025

As the snow melts and the days get warmer, Denver comes alive with vibrant festivals, outdoor adventures, and family-friendly activities. Whether you're a local looking for something new or a visitor eager to explore the Mile High City, spring is the perfect time to...

A Year in Review & A Look Ahead to 2025

A Year in Review & A Look Ahead to 2025

A Letter from Brandon Scholten, CEO of Keyrenter Denver As we close out 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect on this year’s rental market and the remarkable journey we’ve experienced together. Like many across the country, the Denver rental market saw significant...

What exactly is “Normal Wear and Tear”?

What exactly is “Normal Wear and Tear”?

When renting out a property, it’s unreasonable to expect that it will require no upkeep, even if there are no real disasters or tenant damages. Normal wear and tear is bound to show even if your tenants take good care of the property. When damage attributed to normal...

Denver’s Thriving Arts Scene This November

Denver’s Thriving Arts Scene This November

As the leaves change and the days grow shorter, Denver’s arts scene comes alive with vibrant celebrations, making November the perfect time to explore the city's creative spirit. Two standout events—Denver Arts Week and the Denver Film Festival—offer a diverse range...

5 Ways To Get More Rent For Your Denver Home

5 Ways To Get More Rent For Your Denver Home

Are you looking to maximize your rental income from your Denver property? As a landlord, getting the most out of your investment is always a top priority.  Whether you’re new to renting out your home or a seasoned pro, there are always ways to boost your property’s...

The Benefits of Renting to Tenants with Pets

The Benefits of Renting to Tenants with Pets

Renting to tenants with pets can be a strategic decision for landlords looking to enhance their rental business. While the idea of allowing pets in rental properties might seem challenging, it comes with several benefits that can positively impact rental income and...

How To Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental

How To Film a Great Video Tour of Your Rental

Are you a landlord looking to attract potential tenants with an impressive video tour of your rental property? You've come to the right place!  Creating a great video tour can make a significant difference in showcasing your rental's best features and standing out in...

Top Tenant Complaints and How To Solve Them

Top Tenant Complaints and How To Solve Them

Are you constantly fielding complaints from your tenants and wondering how to keep everyone happy? Managing rental properties can be challenging, especially when dealing with common tenant grievances.  In this article, we'll explore the top tenant complaints and...

Rental Property Marketing Mistakes

Rental Property Marketing Mistakes

Are you struggling to attract quality tenants for your rental property? You're not alone. Marketing rental properties can be challenging, and even seasoned landlords can make mistakes that lead to vacancies and lost income.  In this guide, we'll explore common rental...

Why Pet Screening Is Always A Good Idea

Why Pet Screening Is Always A Good Idea

These days, everywhere you go it seems like you regularly encounter people with pets. You see them at cafes, resorts, and even in airports. It is no wonder then that businesses are holding more space for pets.  Since the trend of pet ownership is not going to fade...

Rental Documents Landlords Need

Rental Documents Landlords Need

When managing properties, maintaining accurate records is important for your business to succeed. Landlords who overlook the importance of proper documentation may find themselves navigating legal complexities, financial disputes, and tenant conflicts.  In this...

What Maintenance Issues Are Emergencies?

What Maintenance Issues Are Emergencies?

Landlords face various challenges when managing rental properties, and among the most pressing are maintenance issues. Knowing what constitutes an emergency and what can wait for regular business hours is crucial for maintaining a well-functioning property and...

How to Be a Long-Distance Landlord

How to Be a Long-Distance Landlord

No matter how many times you make plans, some things end up not being in your control. This can apply to becoming a long-distance landlord. It may not be your desire to manage your rental space from afar but you need to relocate for your work and so, you decide to...

Essential Tips For First-Time Landlords

Essential Tips For First-Time Landlords

Investing in rental properties for the first time can be exciting and daunting. As a new landlord, it's crucial to equip yourself with the right knowledge to navigate this new venture effectively. Here are essential tips to help you start on the right foot: 1. Know...

How to Write a Good Property Listing

How to Write a Good Property Listing

As the need for housing accommodations has skyrocketed in recent years, the rental market has become very competitive. Hundreds of properties are listed for rent every day. If you want your rental investment to be profitable, you must ensure it stands out from the...

Best Denver Fall Activities for 2023

Best Denver Fall Activities for 2023

Denver, the Mile-High City, is renowned for its vibrant fall season. As the leaves turn golden and the air gets crisper, the city comes alive with a plethora of activities that cater to both locals and visitors. Whether you're a fan of the spooky season or just...

End of Tenancy Cleaning

End of Tenancy Cleaning

Often, landlords and tenants get into a conflict at the tail end of the leasing term. It can be caused by unmet expectations. One side may require a certain level of cleanliness, yet the other side may not know the standard level expected from them. A simple way to...

Tips To Keep Your Home (and Investment) Safe

Tips To Keep Your Home (and Investment) Safe

Are you losing sleep over the safety of your rental properties? Fear not, you've come to the right place. As a landlord, safeguarding your investments goes hand in hand with maintaining peace of mind.  We understand how crucial it is for you to not only protect your...

Should I Rent My House Furnished?

Should I Rent My House Furnished?

Have you ever wondered how to increase your property's rental appeal while potentially boosting your income? Welcome, savvy landlords! Our discussion today revolves around a common question: renting your property furnished.  We'll delve into the potential benefits,...

Ask the Financing Experts: Aimee Fontes

Ask the Financing Experts: Aimee Fontes

Discover the success-driving insights of Colorado's real estate investors with Aimee Fontes, Assistant Vice President of FirstBank Southwest Market. With over a decade in banking and four years of lending experience at FirstBank, Aimee shares her expertise in creative...

Pricing Your Denver Home to Rent

Pricing Your Denver Home to Rent

Are you a property owner in Denver struggling to determine the best rental price for your property? Determining the right price for your rental can be challenging, but it is crucial to ensure you attract quality tenants while generating maximum rental income. Many...

Weekend Getaways from Denver

Weekend Getaways from Denver

Escape the City with These 13 Colorado Destinations As Denver locals, we often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life. But as the flowers start to bloom and the days get longer, it's time to escape the city and discover the beauty of the surrounding...

5 Communication Tips for Managing Tenants

5 Communication Tips for Managing Tenants

Self-managing a rental property can be a rewarding experience, but it also comes with a number of challenges. One of the most important factors for success as a self-managing landlord is communication. Good communication with your tenants is essential for building...

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Denver

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Denver

Get ready, Denver! St. Patrick’s Day 2025 is right around the corner, and the Mile High City is gearing up for an unforgettable celebration. Whether you're here for the legendary parade, the best Irish pubs, or a family-friendly day of green-clad fun, we’ve got you...

5 Tips to Avoid Vacancies

5 Tips to Avoid Vacancies

Our Keyrenter Leasing Team has put together some of our best tried-and-true tips to avoid unwanted vacancy, especially during the off-season, for you to implement into your own rental and save you money: 1) Complete all cleaning and repairs before marketing the...

Squatters and How to Avoid Them

Squatters and How to Avoid Them

While definitely a more rare occurrence, leaving a rental property vacant for extended periods of time does open the door to some other issues that may threaten the security and rentability of your investment property- squatters. Once a squatter moves into a vacant...

Date Night in Denver

Date Night in Denver

Valentine’s Day Dinner in Denver Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! And whether you’re celebrating with your significant other for the very first time, hunting for a first date location that’s sure to impress, celebrating an anniversary, or simply finally...

Celebrate New Years in Denver

Celebrate New Years in Denver

As 2022 comes to a close, we wanted to provide you with a list of some of the most celebrated parties and events in the country to help you ring in the New Year right here in Denver!  New Year's Eve Fireworks WHEN: Dec. 31, 2022; 9 p.m. and midnight​ WHERE: 16th...

How to Prepare for Tax Season as a Landlord

How to Prepare for Tax Season as a Landlord

It’s almost the end of 2022 already! Which means that Tax Season will quickly be upon us. Our team at Keyrenter wanted to provide some support and FAQs around how you can best prepare yourself to file your taxes and to identify some common mistakes landlords will make...

Top Denver Fall Activities

Top Denver Fall Activities

Credit: Dawn Wilson Photography / Alamy Stock Photo There are few places on earth as magical as the Colorado landscape during the Fall Months. From fiery foliage in the Rockies, to some of the world’s largest Haunted attractions, Colorado has something for everyone....

13 Keys Of Rental Success

13 Keys Of Rental Success

Successful rental owners follow these guidelines to ensure the success of their rental, and maximize their owning experience. 1. Treat your rental property like a business… because it is a business! 2. Have a financial reserve set aside for the “unexpected.” Placing...

Denver’s Best Breweries

Denver’s Best Breweries

When it comes to picking a favorite beer, we understand that personal beer tastes are a HOT topic and can range as wildly (and with as much intensity) as the flavor combinations themselves. But here’s the good news! Colorado is home to over 400 breweries, of which...

Landlord Dos and Donts

Landlord Dos and Donts

Taking a leap of faith and entering into the property management world is a pivotal period of excitement and uncertainty. There are many different aspects of property management you’ll need to learn – after all, owning a rental property is now your new business....

Spring Cleaning and Organization

Spring Cleaning and Organization

The cold weather is on its way out, and spring is finally here! As you prepare for the new season, you may have noticed some dust collecting on the shelves from wintertime. (Don’t feel bad: It happens to all of us!) However, we’re here to help you get – and stay! –...

Moving Out? Here’s What to Do!

Moving Out? Here’s What to Do!

Moving out can be extremely stressful. You may find yourself with a mile-long checklist that includes packing, cleaning, and so much more. Fortunately, we are here to help make the move-out process easier by ensuring all the boxes are checked off before moving out of...

Renting Vs. Selling

Renting Vs. Selling

The million dollar question, should I sell or rent my property? Now more than ever this question seems to be popping up. The selling market right now is crazy! Surely, you have seen neighbors or family members selling their property and the property going for way...

4 Tips on How to Fill Vacancies Faster

4 Tips on How to Fill Vacancies Faster

Nowadays, most customers expect instant and reliable services.  Even as the pandemic struck brick and mortar stores, consumers ordered an entire week’s groceries with a click of a button. When there was no source of entertainment, they pulled out their smartphones and...

5 Ways to Increase Cash Flow

5 Ways to Increase Cash Flow

Every investor or rental property owner always wants to aim for maximizing their property cash flow. While there are plenty of ways to do so, here are a few of the most common opportunities to increase property cash flow. RefinanceIf you purchased your own with a...

How Do Property Managers Get New Owners

How Do Property Managers Get New Owners

Are you wondering how to make your property management company more lucrative? The success of your business depends on strong partnerships with the right people. The following tips can help you get new property owners. Develop a Marketing Plan Every business needs a...

Colorado Landlords and Marijuana

Colorado Landlords and Marijuana

Back in 2012, Colorado became one of the first states to allow recreational use of marijuana. Many landlords are confused on what they can or can’t do in a state where marijuana use is legal. The truth is, not a lot has changed since Marijuana was legalized in...

6 Home Improvements to Raise Home Value

6 Home Improvements to Raise Home Value

When you sell a home, a primary goal of yours is to make the most profit possible. However, if you ask for a lot of money but your home doesn’t provide an equal amount of value, it could sit on the market for months. Instead, you need to make improvements in and...

Top Ten Tenant Screening Questions To Ask

Top Ten Tenant Screening Questions To Ask

Finding the right tenant can make or break your rental business, so it’s important to take the time to screen prospective tenants and find a good fit. However, it can be hard to know what questions to ask to find what you’re looking for. Here we’ll list the top ten...

Top 6 Day trips from Denver

Top 6 Day trips from Denver

Getting ready for a quick days scenery change outside Denver? We’ve got a list of our favorite day-trips outside Denver anyone can reach in under 2 hours. Boulder: Boulder is an easy 40-minute drive from Denver with plenty to do for the city slickers or outdoors...

Where to Eat and Drink in LoHi

Where to Eat and Drink in LoHi

Hey there, fellow food aficionados! If you're on the hunt for the crème de la crème of dining experiences in Denver, look no further than the Lower Highlands, affectionately known as LoHi. This vibrant neighborhood is a melting pot of culinary innovation and...

5 Ways to Cut Costs When Moving

5 Ways to Cut Costs When Moving

Moving is time-consuming and can be extremely stressful. It can also be very expensive. Hiring a professional moving company alone can cost several thousand dollars depending on how far you’re moving and how many belongings you have. And, if you’re making the move a...

Top 10 Breweries in Denver

Top 10 Breweries in Denver

If you’ve ever been bummed to miss the Olympics of beer - the Great American Beer Festival - worry no more, there’s plenty of beer to go around in Colorado and Denver alone. People come from all over the country to check out the local microbrew scene in Denver, so we...

6 Top Neighborhoods in Denver

6 Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Denver is a large city that has everything to offer for every age from hiking and biking trails to hot restaurants, bars, and sports venues. Here in Denver, you can find every type of living from luxury condos with skyline views or luxury lofts, to family-friendly...

Does Paying Rent on Time Build Credit?

Does Paying Rent on Time Build Credit?

Does Rent Build Credit? Sometimes, paying your rent on time might help you build credit. All the 3 major credit reporting bureaus will show positive rent-payment history on your credit reports if it has been provided by landlords. Anytime you are planning to rent...

How to Choose a New Home for Rent

How to Choose a New Home for Rent

Renters should always make sure that they take a tour of the home for rent they are interested in before they decide to move in. It is important to look for several things upfront to make sure that you are going to be comfortable in your new home. It is also important...

The Basics of Property Entry

The Basics of Property Entry

As a landlord, you have several distinct advantages over your tenants, chief among them being your access rights. Though using your power to break up the occasional party may seem tempting, familiarize yourself with your state’s rules regarding random entry first....

What Colors Make a Room Look Bigger?

What Colors Make a Room Look Bigger?

Are you concerned that your new rental home lacks the square footage to truly decorate? We have good news! With some clever arrangement, even the smallest room opens up into a more open, welcoming space.No doubt you realize that clutter makes an already small room...

All About Welcome Packets

All About Welcome Packets

What Goes into a Winning Welcome Packet? As a landlord, you want to provide incoming tenants with helpful information to make the transition into their new home or apartment as easy as possible. A welcome packet is a great way to deliver that information. If you’re...

How to Manage Noisy Tenants

How to Manage Noisy Tenants

Now that the renter population has increased in Denver and more and more people are investing in rental properties, the unfortunate reality is that many property managers will inevitably have to deal with tenants that don’t get along. The most common complaint?...

Renting Vs. Buying a Property

Renting Vs. Buying a Property

Choosing whether to rent or buy a property such as a home or condo can be a difficult decision. The decision is tied up in a variety of factors from your credit score to the amount of time you plan on staying in the property. We’ll help you sort out the aspects of the...

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