Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
40.5%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Bethune, CO, tenants prevail in roughly 40.5% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
90d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Bethune, CO until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 90 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.2–11.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Bethune, CO costs landlords $4,189 to $11,712 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,246
51% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Bethune, CO is $1,246 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 51% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
35.8%
of households
35.8% of occupied housing units in Bethune, CO are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
21.8%
2.0% unemp.
21.8% of Bethune, CO residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 2.0%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +68.3% (2024)
2.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
2.6
State political climate
Colorado legislature & governorship
4.7
Economic stress
21.8% poverty · 2.0% unemp.
6.1
Supply constraint
$1,246 average · 35.8% renters
5.3
Rent Control risk
51.0% of income on rent
9.4
Eviction process difficulty
90 days filing → judgment
4.2
Tenant organizing strength
35.8% renters
6.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Bethune and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Bethune compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Kit Carson County
Elevated
#4of 9 cities
#4 of 9 cities in Kit Carson County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Colorado
Very Low
#423of 479 cities
#423 of 479 cities in Colorado for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.8
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.8/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.8 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
90d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,246/mo. A contested eviction takes 90 days and costs $4,189–$11,712 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
35.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 218 residents, 35.8% rent. 51% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 21.8% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
2.6
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 2.6 and 2.6 (GOP margin +68.3% (2024)). State climate at 4.7, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
4.7
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 4.7/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 4.2, housing court bias 8.8, rent-control risk 9.4. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-0.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.1. Supply constraint: 5.3. The numbers behind those: 21.8% poverty, 2.0% unemployment, 51% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Bethune sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Bethune · 90d · ~$8.0k all-in ($88/day) · score 3.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Bethune, Colorado, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.8/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Bethune is a city of 218 residents where 35.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 51.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,246/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Bethune eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4.2/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Bethune closes 90 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Bethune's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 8.8/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Bethune runs $4,189 to $11,712 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 90 days of typical timeline and $1,246/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6.8/10 in Bethune, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.4/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Colorado, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Bethune: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Colorado's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $11,712 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Bethune
Trap · 9.4/10
The 5.1/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Bethune's rent-control-risk sub-score is 9.4/10, driven by demographic and political pressure for tenant relief.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I give the 10-day notice?
If your tenant pays *some* but not all of the past-due rent within the 10-day notice period, you generally cannot accept a partial payment if you intend to proceed with eviction for non-payment. Accepting partial payment often "waives" your right to evict based on that specific notice, and you'd have to issue a new notice for the remaining balance. It's usually best to demand full payment or proceed with the eviction. If you accept partial payment, get a written agreement stating it doesn't waive your right to evict for the remaining balance, though this is still risky.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for having pets if my lease says "no pets"?
Yes, if your lease explicitly prohibits pets and the tenant violates that clause, it's a lease violation. You would typically issue a 10-day notice to cure or quit for this type of violation. The tenant then has 10 days to remove the pet or vacate. However, be aware of service animals or emotional support animals, which are protected under federal and state fair housing laws, even if your lease has a no-pet policy. You cannot deny these.
Q3
Does Bethune have rent control?
No, Colorado does not have statewide rent control. This means landlords in Bethune are generally free to set market rates for rent and increase rent at lease renewal, provided proper notice is given (typically 30-60 days for month-to-month, or at the end of a fixed-term lease). However, be aware that the state's rent-control-risk sub-score for Bethune is 9.4/10, indicating a strong political environment that could lead to future rent control legislation. Stay informed about Colorado rent control rules.
Q4
What if my tenant damages the property beyond normal wear and tear?
You can use the security deposit to cover damages beyond normal wear and tear, provided you follow the 30-day return deadline and provide an itemized statement. If the damages exceed the security deposit amount, you can sue the tenant in small claims court for the difference. Document all damages with photos and repair estimates.
Q5
How soon can I get a new tenant in after an eviction?
Once the sheriff has completed the lockout and you have possession of the property, you can immediately begin cleaning, repairs, and marketing for a new tenant. There's no waiting period required by law after you regain possession. However, be thorough with cleaning and repairs to ensure the unit is move-in ready.
A 3.8/10 places Bethune in the 12th percentile of Colorado cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Bethune (3.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
