I have recently gotten rid of a renter who was habitually late with rent, and always had some excuse or another for lack of payment. The late fees added up, and she agreed to pay them, but alas, the payments were few and far between. She has finally left (the home was a wreck), and now she owes me well over $3000 in back-rent and late fees. She is ignoring my calls, and I have threatened a law suit. The problem is, where do I begin to deal with this, legally? The home is in Long Beach, California. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

Ok first, yes you can sue him, take it to small claims court, no lawyer needed, you fill out a form they supply and file it with a fee. You will get a court date to come in and supply all ofyour written evidence and statements.

Now here is the problem, if this is a dead beat, how will you collect your money after you get a judgement from the court, do they have money in the bank that you can attach? NO<?

Do they have a steady job that you can garnish ? Maybe, will they quit it instead of paying you, forceing you to keep finding where they are working.

How much is this worth to you to collect, how much time do you have to do it. My son for example will spend 1000 dollars to collect 700 dollars, he just wants to get back at them, for me, if it is obvoius I will not get the money, I write it off and move on with life.

Hello elfon:

I suggest that you find another line of work. Landlording isn't for you.

excon

Hi Fr_Chuck,

Thanks for the speedy response. I will be filing a small claims suit, and have gotten a lot of info on it since. I know how to find the woman, and her workplace, so that's a blessing. :) Again, thanks again!