[t6baker]

Had a renter sign a three year lease after four months they moved out in the middle of the night. Had a propety manager with no help from them. They got there money so they are not willing to help. How do I find these renters so we can go to small claims court .

[AK lawyer]

... how do i find these renters so we can go to small claims court .

Did you or the property manager make them fill out an application? Such application form should have asked where the tenants work, and contact information (friend, next of kin, etc.).

[ScottGem]

You need to read your contract with the property manager. It may include helping you with a skip or it may not.

But as AK said, the PM should have gotten references, background check, etc. on them. If the PM did not do this, they may have been negligent and you may have a suit against them. If they did you get that info and use it to try and track them down.

[Fr_Chuck]

Most property management do not help"find the ones that skip out" they merely start looking for a new renter. So read your contract with them.

Skipping out is common and to be expected, biggest issue is damage to the home. And of course why many landlords always get a security deposit and first and last months rent.

The issues is that on the application, they should have listed contacts, sociail security numbers, and drivers license info, plus where they work, than that info is verified. Along with past rental history.

So you often hire a PI or collection firm to find them and try to collect.

But to be honest even with small claims, most small claim judgements are never collected.

The lost rent is controlled by getting a new renter fast, then your lost is low. And you need to figure in a certain amount of damage and lost rents as part of doing business.