I was renting a duplex in North Carolina and went from being on a year lease to a month to month lease. I purchased a hope in March of 2010. Against my better judgement, I did not pay my last month of rent. Before vacating I hd a Sherriff serve me with papers, however I did not show up to court, thinking I would be able to pay it off at a later date. Not long after, I received a letter from the real estate agency. My deposit I originally placed on my rental was for over $1000 and they stated they were keeping that as well as stated I owed $700+ more! They charged me for light bulbs, among a multitude of other random things. I reviewed my credit report and this is showing up twice! Once as being reported by a collection agency on behalf of the real estate agency and again as a judgment, for two different amounts. The collection agency states "$729.00" the judgment is listed as "$836.00". I would love to take care of this by paying it off and hopefully having it removed from my credit report completely. Is it possible to have this removed upon payment? Would I be able to take this matter back to court on my own or do I need to seek legal help?