There are several ways to collect money from a tenant who doesn't pay the required rent. Some are faster or easier than others.
Q: I rented the home I own to a tenant in May because I wanted to move in with my mom, who is 93 and needs help on a daily basis. The man I rented my home to never sent me a payment, so I evicted him and then sued him in small claims court for the money I am owed. The judge awarded me a $4,950 judgment, but now I can't find the tenant to collect. What can I do?
A: There are several ways to track down a deadbeat tenant, though some are more costly than others.
Start by visiting the area's local post office to see if you can get the tenant's new address. If you can, send him a copy of the court's decision by certified mail and demand the payment that the judge ordered.
If the post office can't help, or if the tenant simply ignores your correspondence, consider contacting all the personal references he listed on his original rental application to see if they know where he's living now. Be careful of what you say, though, because some deadbeats have successfully sued their previous landlords for slandering their character to their family, friends or employer.
You could also hire a collection agency to find him, though the firm may keep up to half (or more) of the money it recovers.
A less-expensive alternative might be to file an "abstract of judgment" against the former tenant at the local county recorder's office. An abstract is a brief summary of the lawsuit you have won and puts a lien on any real estate he might own in the area now or might try to purchase in the future. And, if he tries to get a loan or simply clean up his credit record later, the abstract might force him to settle his debt with you first.
Comments
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The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
A lead pipe and pliers have always worked for me.
Satirical (anonymous) says…
I was really hoping the article would mention something about a baseball bat.
otto (anonymous) says…
couranna must not pay her rent either all the while thinking it is owed to her.
ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"a moochie punk heard from"Don't say things like that about yourself. Have some self esteem!
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
I can deliver the deadbeat. Gonna cost ya five grand, though.
roger_o_thornhill (anonymous) says…
How can I collect unreturned deposit money from deadbeat landlord?
Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…
I say get Dog the Bounty Hunter to find him. That guy can find anyone! Well, if they're in Hawaii and on Meth that is.
SonnyJ (anonymous) says…
I found www.NoPayTenants.com is for reporting deadbeat renters. All rental property owners need to checkout that website and post their deadbeat renters. When renters find out their name is on that database they quickly want to pay-up. Also, it helps other landlords from getting burned and you can check if any renter has a record.
RonHolzwarth (Ron Holzwarth) says…
Here's a clue, and it is very basic:
Always run a credit check and determine a prospective tenant's FICA score - before you rent!