I live in Wisconsin. My previous tenant did not pay the final two months rent. Also, owes me over $600 in damages for large window. And probably $500 for stuff that I probably can't prove like smoke damage to floor and walls. Was a non-smoking unit. Security deposit only covered part of all this.
I do not know where he is. He does not answer his phone, his girlfriend does not answer her phone, I called his mother and she says she does not know where he is, but might be working at a certain place in the area yet. I assume they cannot tell me his address. He does not have a car. My guess is he his leaching off friends somewhere.

How can I file a summons if I don't know where he is? Or where do I go from here?

I live in Wisconsin. My previous tenant did not pay the final two months rent. Also, owes me over $600 in damages for large window. And probably $500 for stuff that I probably can't prove like smoke damage to floor and walls. Was a non-smoking unit. Security deposit only covered part of all this.
I do not know where he is. He does not answer his phone, his gf does not answer her phone, I called his mother and she says she does not know where he is, but might be working at a certain place in the area yet. I assume they cannot tell me his address. He does not have a car. My guess is he his leaching off friends somewhere.

How can I file a summons if I don't know where he is? Or where do I go from here?



You have to have an address (or place of employment) in order to serve someone.

If all else fails hire a Licensed Private Detective to run a limited background check - depending on how recently the tenant moved there should be a forwarding/new address.

Since it's in Wisconsin, you can try a search for both the tenant and his girlfriend at:

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (http://wcca.wicourts.gov)

I've used this plenty of times to locate people who have taken off on me. It sometimes takes a few months but if they get even a speeding ticket, their address will show up on this site.

And like Judy said, you need an address to have the papers served. Otherwise you will need to file more paperwork asking the court to post-pone the trial until you locate the tenant. Find him first, then file the papers.