Legal means to recover rent arrears

[Molly Lee]

Hi. I have a tenant who had rented a small 1 bedroom condo in Fairfax, N. Virginia for about 2.5 years. He is a federal government employee in Washington DC (working for HUD). Early August, he was 1 to 2 months behind in his rent before he stopped replying my emails and phone calls. Soon after that, I surprisingly noticed he had already moved out of the condo, leaving behind all his trash, and without giving us any notice nor returning the keys. We intend to pursue legal means to recover the rent arrears, but have no idea how to proceed. We appreciate any suggestion and help we can get.