DENVER — The eviction process can be complicated — and for thousands of Denver residents, it can be the difference between keeping a home and losing one.
Paul Chandler has lived in his Denver apartment for six years without issue. But after missing rent payments in August and September due to family health struggles, he now faces eviction — even though he says he has the money to pay.
"I have it, but they won't accept it because, oh, we need this extra and that, and it doesn't make sense," Chandler said.
Denver7's Ethan Carlson tells Chandler's story in the video below:
Chandler said compounding late fees have made it nearly impossible to catch up.
"My rent is normally $2,000 a month, and I have the $4,000, but you want me to pay $8,000 for two months — that's compounded interest," Chandler said.
He said his apartment complex refuses to accept any payment unless he pays the full amount at once — fees included. He believes his situation is far from unique.
"90% of the people ... here is just because they were maybe a week late behind on paying their rent, and then it just became compounded after that," Chandler said.
That's where an attorney can make a critical difference.
"When people don't have an attorney in an eviction case, about 70% of the time they're evicted. When they do have an attorney, about 94% of the time they're not evicted," Matt Baca said.
Baca is the executive director of Colorado Legal Services, a nonprofit that provides free legal help to people across Colorado.
On Monday, Denver City Council approved a resolution providing an additional $100,000 to the organization to help hundreds of Denver families navigate the eviction process.
When asked whether tenants can handle eviction cases on their own, Baca was direct.
"It's almost impossible. Going to court in any context on your own is extremely difficult —it's arcane. The rules are tough to understand," Baca said.
The new funding comes at a critical time. Baca said Denver has already seen more than 11,000 eviction filings in 2026, and the city is on pace to tie or surpass the 2024 record of more than 15,000 evictions.
For Chandler, the stakes are personal.
"If you don't have the proper information and the guide to walk you through it, then you're lost, and that's the unfortunate thing. You become evicted," Chandler said.
It's exactly the outcome Colorado Legal Services is working to prevent.
"Being able to tell them you and your family have housing because of this work, there's really nothing like it," Baca said.
For now, Chandler is still facing eviction while hoping for some understanding from his landlord.
"They want a lump sum, and it's like, why not just take the rent that I owe you, and then be caught up?" Chandler said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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