I am closing on a Triplex in Aurora, Co this week. One of the tenants has 6 months left on their lease, but needs to be removed. The other tenants have witnessed drug deals, her apartment is filthy/borderline hording. The other tenants have complained that they are having mouse and roach issues since she moved in a year ago.  Unfortunately the previous landlord kept no records, so I have no record of timely payments and the lease that is in place is super vague. How do I approach this?  

The other two tenants are awesome and I don't want to loose them.

@Patty Capson , how vague is vague?  Also any illegal activity I would think would be grounds for eviction, have the other tenants called the police?  Are there police reports?

@Patty Capson

If you have no proof via police reports or signed affidavits substantiating violation of the lease through ‘illegal activities’ your only recourse is to wait the minimum time (4 to 5 months) before delivering a notice to not renew. Whether or not they paid the previous owner late is inconsequential and good luck with evicting them based on poor housekeeping.

If the tenants want them gone, make them play a role. Any potential illegal activity that they suspect should not only be reported to you, but they should file reports with the local police. That way, you'll have records on file. Also, without being confrontational, bring up their exit in conversation. Don't phrase it as though you're kicking them out. Word it as though there are serious upgrades that need to be done that necessitate the property being vacated. Get the ball rolling now. Other housing opportunities may present themselves to the problem tenant that allow them to leave prior to the end of their lease. 

@Patty Capson

Well, you knew what they were like and how they kept their place, and you decided to buy anyway. Tenants get a new slate when you buy. Monitor them closely and evict if a lease violation occurs under your watch. Then simply do not renew their lease when time is up. Of course, you could always talk to them and let them know you’d be ok if they moved early. In the future, put this problem on the seller. Require the unit be delivered empty before close.

@Patty Capson you want a drug dealer out report him to the police and when he’s arrested and missed a rent payment start eviction

I'm assuming that your lease has a term, and an amount that the monthly rent is, and a late fee.  That should be enough.  Tell the other tenants that you feel their pain, and that they should report, anonymously, to the police every single time they see any illegal activity going on.  Tell the police yourself that you suspect drug activity.  BTW, if you don't want your doors broken down, and if local law allows, give keys to the police and post a notice that the police and fire department have been given keys to the outer door, for safety's sake - and if law allows in your area, to the inner doors, too.  That in and of itself may be enough to get them to move.  And when the drug bust comes, the cops won't have to break down the doors.  We've never had a drug dealer pay on time, so you can expect that the rent will be late the first month you own.  Give it to a lawyer to handle to file the eviction then and there, and soon they will be gone.

Depends on the state and municipality. The state will determine most of your eviction laws, and the municipality will determine the type of police response, or more likely the lack of it.

Do what is within the law to get rid of the tenant as fast as possible, they will eventually chase out the good ones, if you don't.

Offer them money to get out.  If the place is unhygienic, you can do inspections and tell her that her place needs to be cleaned.

So, vacant possession is off the table? I like obtaining current leases (banks want them to lend on) but asking for vacant possession to avoid these annoyances. $10k holdback if possession isn’t vacant on day of closing. There’s always significant pushback on the holdback, and I don’t let it slide. If they’re confident it will be empty, they’ll get every dime on closing day. If they won’t accept that then they’re actually saying they have no idea what their responsibilities are wrt the lease that’s in place. In my location they need to provide notice to vacate because of sale, it’s that simple.

You don't own the property so there's nothing you can do.

The first thing you can do is serve notice of inspection the day after closing. If it's as bad as they say, tell her you want her out. You can exaggerate a little and say that her filthy living conditions are causing roaches and other issues with the neighbors. See if she's willing to leave in 7-10 days on her own.

If that doesn't work, I would hit her with a 30-day notice to vacate. She's not legally required but she many tenants either don't know any better or are willing to leave because they know you're going to crack down.

If that doesn't work, you can try contacting the city to see if they will inspect and deem it uninhabitable. If she has kids, report her to family services and they may determine her kids have to be removed which will then motivate her to leave.

If that isn't an option, you can always continue to inspect on a regular basis and nail her for every lease violation until she decides she's had enough of you and moves out.

People are going to tell you to use cash for keys but that's rewarding her bad behavior and should only be used as a last resort.

Hi Patty. I am so sorry to hear that you're dealing with this headache. Usually, you'd get a feel for the type of person during the screening process but since they're inherited, it definitely makes the situation a bigger headache.  

Unfortunately, the best advice I can give is to follow the advice of what others have noted above. Try and get this tenant out as best as you can. Most leases have clauses about illegal drug usage on the property, that's fairly standard. If the prior landlord used a lease that at least meets your state's minimum requirements (your state's standard lease), then you should still be able to use that. Now it is just about proof. It could be worth having new security systems installed to catch them in the act. I hate to hear that you're dealing with the drama of some of this, and sometimes that drama can carry over, which is exactly why it makes sense to get a new one in there as fast as you can. I hope everything works out.

@Patty Capson figure out what is in the lease, and make sure everyone knows to report illegal activity. Does the lease talk about pests like roaches? Maybe you can charge for remediating. My lease specifies any illegal activity is grounds for immediate termination. Does yours? Do the inspection as mentioned before, get everything fixed up (focusing on the tenant-caused issues first, and charge for them!). I didn't see it here, but also let that tenant know you are installing security cameras around the premises "for their protection" and then do it. They aren't that expensive these days. Does your lease mention early termination? Let them know you were thinking about sprucing the place up and you would be willing to waive the fees. If you start charging them for the things they do wrong, monitor closely for things that are illegal, the police begin showing up from the neighbors calling, and you have given them an easy out they will likely want to move on their own.

I really appreciate all of the great advice, Thank you everyone!!