Tenants took our Fridge and Furniture when they moved out.

[Nina Ning]

This is the tenants didn't pay April rent and we sent them 3 day notice. They moved out on 4/30. This was rented out as furnished house with fridge and furniture. When we came in after they moved out, we noticed they took our fridge and furniture with them. They didn't leave keys, fob or garage opener either. We called the local police department to file a report and asked Police if they can call tenants to return my personal property.  The police did call but with no response. 

The total worth they took is about $4000 and they also owed about $1800 utility charges. Shall I do a small claims at the court or I should talk to insurance company to see the $4000 can be covered.

I really appreciate your inputs in advance! Nina

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Quote from @Nina Ning:

This is the tenants didn't pay April rent and we sent them 3 day notice. They moved out on 4/30. This was rented out as furnished house with fridge and furniture. When we came in after they moved out, we noticed they took our fridge and furniture with them. They didn't leave keys, fob or garage opener either. We called the local police department to file a report and asked Police if they can call tenants to return my personal property.  The police did call but with no response. 

The total worth they took is about $4000 and they also owed about $1800 utility charges. Shall I do a small claims at the court or I should talk to insurance company to see the $4000 can be covered.

I really appreciate your inputs in advance! Nina

 If you go to small claims court you will likely win. They won't even show up. Once you get a judgment you can report on their credit by notifying a service that reports credit for landlords. But, you still have to collect and that's the hard part. I use  https://www.rentrecoveryservice.com/ it's $30 and worth it.

If you call your insurance company and even if you don't file a claim, they note it into the claims database for both you and for the property. Your insurance costs will go up either way. So, if you want to file an insurance claim, do it and don't look back, don't simply just inquire about it.

Personally, I'd file a police report, then I would file a small claim and insurance claim simultaneously. Do not put down false information on any of the forms. If the insurance company asks if you filed a small claims suit, be honest and so on.

If you win the lawsuit, and collect, you will likely owe that money to the insurance company. I don't think they allow double dipping. But by having the judgment you are protected from future claims.

I won an eviction a year ago through a court proceeding and got a judgment. I got it placed on the tenants credit report. I just got a notice from the Attorney General for the state wanting to know what happened. I sent in the judgment from the court and all is well. I was protected because I went though the proper steps.

Turns out the tenant told the AG's office that I falsely placed a judgment against their credit. I responded in writing and included the "signed by the judge", judgment. The ex-tenants are now trapped with the realization, that until they pay me off, they are unable to get the things they want. We will see when their pain point is high enough that they decide to actually start paying the judgment.