I have some tenants who skipped out without paying their last month's rent plus they did not clean. They also left a huge water/garbage bill which they clearly agreed to pay since I had kept the rent so low.
Mostly I would like to make sure that future landlords/owners do not get the same treatment from them. But if possible I would like to get what they owe me.
The tenants moved (supposedly) to Florida, naturally without leaving a forwarding address. The property is in Abq, NMex and collection agencies here say they don't work on such small problems.
Do you know where I might get some help? Thanks much, Carolyne
2:28 pm February 24, 2009
Troy
Guest
2
Carolyne, how much do the former tenants owe you?
2:29 pm February 24, 2009
Carolyne
Guest
3
Thank you so much for your response. They owe at least $2000 which includes their last month's rent, back late fees, water/garbage bill, and extra cleaning/repair necessary above their $500 deposit.
However, if I include late fees date just on not paying October '08 rent it would be $10/ times about 145 days. Or if only the days until I rented home to new tenants the late fee for 30 days would be $300.
Also, the property is in Abq, NM and I had to fly there to serve them with a notice to pay rent or “quit”. Plus I wanted to personally inspect the property and manage clean up and repairs on-site. I would not have had to do this if they would have paid their last month rent, etc. So the travel was an extra expense of about $500.
I suppose in small claims court an attorney/judge would say tack all of these costs on because the tenants violated their agreement.
Carolyne
2:44 pm February 24, 2009
Troy
Guest
4
Carolyne,
Taking your former tenants to small claims court appears to be the best solution. Here are few things to keep in mind.
Added expenses trying to collect past rent:
-court filing fees
-travel expenses
Even if you get a judgment against the former tenants, you still have to collect. Sometimes it becomes a long battle.
Don't get me wrong. I firmly believe if a tenant owes money they need to pay. It is not always easy to collect.
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