April 1, 2025 marks a major milestone—Keyrenter Denver is celebrating 10 years of delivering top-tier property management services!
What started as a small operation with a vision for better property management has grown into one of Denver’s most trusted names in real estate. Over the past decade, Keyrenter Denver has helped countless property owners maximize their investments and provided tenants with exceptional rental experiences.
As we celebrate this incredible journey, we want to take a moment to reflect on our history—how we started, the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and how we’ve grown into the company we are today.
How It All Began:
For Brandon Scholten, property management wasn’t just a career choice—it was in his blood. Growing up in Longmont, Colorado, his mother was a real estate investor and broker, managing a large portfolio of rental properties while also selling real estate.
His earliest exposure to property management came in middle school when he helped his mom clean out a unit after an eviction. He remembers the experience—not just the hard work, but the realization that rental properties were more than just homes. They were investments, responsibilities, and opportunities.
Throughout his childhood, real estate was always present in the background. His parents owned single-family homes, multi-family properties, and even a historic apartment building. While his mom managed the numbers and logistics, his father was less involved, focusing on other entrepreneurial ventures.
Although Brandon absorbed many lessons from his mother’s work, he didn’t immediately see himself following in her footsteps. Instead, after high school, he attended Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, where he studied business. His career path initially led him into finance, sales, and mortgage brokering, but none of those felt like the right long-term fit.
The turning point came in 2005 when his mother passed away after battling cancer. At the same time, the 2008 financial crisis forced his father to sell off much of their rental portfolio, leaving behind only a handful of properties. While Brandon had grown up around real estate, he hadn’t been handed a business—if he wanted to succeed in the industry, he would have to build something from the ground up.
The Path to Property Management
After leaving his sales job in 2008, Brandon began working for a Denver-area real estate investor who was flipping foreclosure properties during the financial crisis. His role started small—helping prepare properties for resale—but quickly grew into a larger responsibility.
As the foreclosure market boomed, Brandon found himself managing properties, coordinating renovations, and assisting with the acquisition of distressed real estate. But what interested him most was the management side of things—finding tenants, maintaining properties, and ensuring rental income remained stable.
By 2012, the foreclosure opportunities were drying up, and the investor he worked for decided to shift focus to long-term rental properties. This meant buying lower-cost condos and turning them into rental units. The portfolio grew quickly, and before long, Brandon was managing more than 100 units.
At the same time, he was taking on outside clients—property owners who needed management services but didn’t have the time or expertise to do it themselves. This was the early foundation of his own business, which operated under the name Scholten Rentals.
By 2014, Brandon realized he had built something significant. Property owners were reaching out through word of mouth, and he had developed a system for managing rentals efficiently. However, the business still lacked the structure and resources needed to scale.
That’s when he discovered Keyrenter.
The Birth of Keyrenter Denver
While researching ways to grow his business, Brandon met a franchise broker who introduced him to the idea of franchising. He was skeptical at first—he had already built a portfolio and wasn’t sure what a franchise could offer.
But then he came across Keyrenter Property Management, a fast-growing company with a focus on streamlining operations, supporting franchise owners, and creating a better experience for landlords and tenants.
What convinced him? A simple question about how they handled keys.
During a visit to Keyrenter’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, he asked about their key management system. Instead of giving a quick answer, the leadership team walked him through everything they had tried, what had failed, and the system they had developed through trial and error.
At that moment, Brandon saw the value of being part of something bigger. Instead of figuring out every challenge on his own, he could tap into a network of experienced professionals who had already solved many of the problems he faced.
In January 2015, he officially signed on with Keyrenter and began preparing to launch Keyrenter Denver on April 1, 2015.
Building a Business from the Ground Up
The first year of Keyrenter Denver was a whirlwind.
Brandon started with about 30 properties, many of which he had already been managing under his previous business. But from the very beginning, his focus was on growth. He wanted to build a scalable business that could grow beyond himself.
One of the first major steps was hiring his first employee. This was a huge leap—going from managing everything solo to building a team. He wanted to create a company that could operate efficiently, professionally, and with a commitment to service.
In the early years, most new clients came from referrals. Property owners who had worked with Brandon recommended him to others, and tenants shared positive experiences. The Denver real estate market was growing rapidly, and more investors were looking for reliable property management.
A Decade of Growth and Excellence
The years following our 2015 launch were marked by steady growth—and a lot of learning. As the number of properties under management increased, so did the complexity of operations. We quickly learned that delivering consistent, quality service required more than just good systems; it required good people and clear values.
During this time, we began shaping what would eventually become our company culture: a focus on transparency, accountability, and respect—for our clients, our tenants, and our team. These years helped us understand what kind of company we wanted to be, not just in what we did, but in how we did it.
This is also when the seeds of our Guiding Document began to take shape. Though it wouldn’t be formalized until years later, the core idea behind it—that property management can be a peaceful, supportive experience for everyone involved—was already becoming central to how we approached our work.
By the early 2020s, we were no longer just a small, growing business. We had become a team, with full-time employees, defined processes, and a shared set of expectations. That transition brought its challenges—hiring, training, building consistency—but it also gave us the chance to be more intentional about our culture.
We emphasized hiring for mindset and potential, not just experience. We built processes that empowered our team to take ownership, learn, and grow. And we held ourselves to the same values we asked of each other: be real, value everyone, courageous curiosity, and go all in.
These became the framework for navigating difficult conversations, earning client trust, and making decisions as we scaled. Along the way, we never lost sight of our purpose: to create peace of mind for owners and tenants.
As we celebrate 10 years in business, we’re proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve grown from a handful of units to managing over 1,000 properties across the Denver Metro area. We’ve built a strong, capable team. And we’ve stayed committed to our core purpose—even as the industry and city around us have changed.
Looking forward, our goals remain ambitious. By 2028, we aim to manage over 5,000 homes and be recognized not just for our size but for the quality of service we provide. We want to continue investing in our team, our clients, and our systems so that growth never comes at the cost of excellence.
Most importantly, we want to keep doing the kind of work that matters: helping property owners feel confident in their investments, and giving tenants homes they can rely on.
Here’s to the next decade—and everything we’ll build together.