Collecting on Judgments - Landlord Forum thread

Collecting on Judgments by Luke (WI) on April 18, 2008 @09:42

In the last few months I've had to evict and file small claims cases against a couple of tenants. This is the first time I've had to go through this process. The tenants have moved out leaving me quite a mess and thankfully minimal damage. I've gained judgments against these tenants however most of them have fled the area and I am left with no employer information to attempt to garnish wages.

Can I turn these people over to collection agencies? Will collection agencies purchase my judgments? Or am I SOL unless I track down these form tenants of mine? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

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Re: Collecting on Judgments by ctlandlord (ct) on April 18, 2008 @12:06

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The most important thing is to get the judgement on the credit history as this lets the "secret out." YOu do not need to pay for this , just have it recorded at the court house where the judgement was given. This then causes your former tenants hassels as they pay more for all credit and as most landlords now pull credit scores -- this alerts them as well. IMHO any landlord who does not pull credit will increasingly be scammed by pro tenants b/c they DO tell each other where the easy marks are.

Re: Collecting on Judgments by Margaret (CO) on April 18, 2008 @12:06

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I have a judgment against my ex-tenants. So far, I believe I should invest in a nice frame, frame the damned thing and put it up on the wall, where I can see it every day and remember: if you have a bad feelings about people who apply to live in your rental, DO NOT hand them the key.

By the way, if you experiment with collection agencies, please DO share your experiences with the rest of us unfortunate landlords. I tried to hire someone here, but they requested that I locate the tenants BEFORE they take action. Well, if I locate the tenants, I can take action myself, and not share the prospective money with a collection agency, right?

Has anybody a better idea, or a lead to a collection agency that a) takes less than half of the judgment; b) finds the tenant by themselves; and c) does not take any money up front?

Thanks for leads!

Re: Collecting on Judgments by NY-LL on April 18, 2008 @17:10

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Once the judgment is obtained from SCC or Civil Court, the process of collections is facilitated with the services of the marshal, sheriff, or consulate (different names for different counties and states). The marshal, sheriff, or consulate charge a specific fee and will proceed to freeze bank accounts, garnish wages, seize property, etc. The additional fees for the marshal, sheriff, or consulate are eventually paid for by the tenant (or person judgment is against) after collection. Judgment collector will need to provide a social security number or a driver's license number to locate the debtor. (Locating the tenant should be relatively easy if LL performed all requisite background checks.)

Re: Collecting on Judgments