What can I do to get my money from a bad tenant or ruining his credit so he does not do this to anyone else?

by **burdett** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:10 am

I rented t a guy that used to be in the Army. He ever told me that he would not be getting any money when the semesters ended. this means that he could not pay rent for 4 months until school started again. So I took him to SC court and got a judgement for 975 dollars. He did not give me money and he moved out of my place before the lease was u and left it trashed. I might have to let my place go into foreclosure. I know that h still lives in fayetteville NC, i just have not had a chance to try to find him because I live in Virginia now. It really disturbs me when people do this and then the laws make it so hard for you to do anything to them. He did say he was going to file bankruptcy so I would not get my money, There has be something I can do. I know about the Writ of execution already but the guy does not have anything. If someone can point me in the right direction please

by **aingeni** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:11 am

There are several things you might do to collect from this guy.

#1 If he is working you might garnishee his wages.

#2. You might hire a local company that recovery judgments (This company would want you to sign a contract that authorize them to get anywhere from 35% to 50% of the judgment) They are pros and are normally successful in collecting judgments.

#3 You might attach a lien to any real property he owns.

I hope this has been of some benefit to you,good luck.

"FIGHT ON"

by **sceley** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:25 am

Being a landlord carries a certain amount of risk, and if you cannot take a $975 loss, afford to clean the place up or spend a few minutes doing an internet search for someone in order to try to get paid, it is pretty apparent to me that you do not have the stuff to be a landlord.

by **elkanah1** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:33 am

try going to yellow pages.com and look him up. you have to act as a collection agency would act and find his address and telephone number. look up in phone books, skip trace, even use a private investigator if necessary. otherwise you will have to take the loss and move on.

by **gillivray5** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:43 am

as Judge Judy says it correctly; getting a judgment is one thing, getting $ another entirely.

Luck to you

I will show you how to keep from foreclosure--for free

by **caffar** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:50 am

If he is in the Army go to his First Sargent, state your case. They will reprimand him and you will get your money in full. The Military hates their soldiers giving them a bad name. Good Luck!

by **mace** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:53 am

The eviction has destroyed his credit

by **ern** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:56 am

Let me get this straight:

(1) You rented to a guy who admitted he would not have any money for 4 months.
(2) You took him to court and have a $975 judgment against him.
(3) Your renter is threatening to file for bankruptcy.
(4) You know that the guy "does not have anything"
(5) You want to ruin his credit so he does not do this to anyone else.

I have some comments (worth what you paid for them, or less):

(1) This was your first mistake
(2) You can't squeeze money out of a stone -- if you have a $975 judgment against him but he "does not have anything" how do you propose he come up with $975?
(3) Could be a bluff to get you off his back but if you already have a judgment against him, I don't think that him filing bankruptcy will extinguish existing judgments so this will not really affect you.
(4) Your second mistake
(5) A third mistake in the making. See if you can get maybe half of what he owes you or even 25% of what he owes you -- it'll be better than nothing which is the way you're headed with this. If he can't afford rent, was unemployed because he was in school, I'm guessing his credit rating is probably already pretty low so your attempts at "ruining his credit" are probably futile.

Suggestions:

Owning rental properties are a luxury most people do not have. Clean the apartment up and re-rent it. Write off the $975 as a cost of doing business. Move on with your life.

Again, my advice is worth what you paid for it.
Good luck!

by **hackett** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 6:06 am

you were had, oh landlord.

this guy never had any intention of paying you anything and you fell for it.

so, you've already got a judgment -- that ruins his credit. now file in same court for your damages and get another judgment.

if there is a landlord's association in Fayetteville, join it so that you can access other landlord's tales of woe and bad tenants. And definitely include him on their lists.

however, you can't get blood out of a stone. your lesson is simple -- you are not a charity. Cash up front is required; damage deposit, first and last month's rent. Plus, you check references and plainly say so. Then actually do so.

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