Collecting rents from evicted tenants

[Malhar B.]

Hello everyone! I was curious, has anyone used a collections agency or attorney to collect rents from a tenant that was evicted? If so, which do you prefer, attorney or collections agency? How do you go about selecting one (obviously you'd want an effective one, but a balance of cost too, I'm sure)? If I have a judgement, I'm sure it is a lot easier to get the process rolling, but curious what route others have taken.

It is my understanding that collections agencies take a percentage, anywhere from 20-50%, whereas the attorney may charge an amount in addition to the amount owed; so, if $1000 was owed, the attorney may charge the evicted tenant $1300 and keep the $300. Any experience, thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your help!