When Can a Landlord Take a Tenant to Court for Not Paying Rent?

Real Estate attorney Esteban García was interviewed by Valora Analitik about rent default situations in Colombia. He highlighted that generally, Colombian law establishes that failure to pay rent grants a landlord the authority to terminate a contract and seek return of the property for noncompliance. He shared recommendations for clauses that stipulate timelines for non-payment and clarify the obligations of each party, described the legal process for recovering the property and pointed out conciliation as a faster alternative.

"In leases for urban housing, Law 820 of 2003, in Article 9, Numeral 1, establishes that the primary obligation of the tenant is to pay the value of the rent stipulated in the contract," he commented. "Not paying rent and its adjustments in the time agreed upon is sufficient cause for the landlord to unilaterally terminate the contract."

READ: When Can a Landlord Take a Tenant to Court for Not Paying Rent?