Small claims & tenant

[Leo Don]

Hello BP!

I need some ideas in order to take my tenant to small claim. I recently evicted a tenant and they have completely distroyed my unit. I want to take them to small claim but I was told by the housing court in order to do that I would need a forwarding address for the tenant. However, I know the tenant will not provide me with that. 

If anyone faced the same issue before and knows any suggestion how to retrieve that information I would deeply appreciate any inputs in this matter.

Thanks 

[Kyle J.]

@Leo Don  Here's a few ideas:

1) Try to serve the tenant at work.  (Their employment information should be on their original application.)  If they no longer work for the same employer, try doing an internet search for them and looking on social media sites (i.e. Facebook, etc) and/or professional networking sites (i.e. LinkedIn, etc) or other sites related to their industry to see if they've updated their employer.  I once found (and was able to serve) and ex-tenant this way.

2) Hire a process server or skip tracer.  They often have access to paid databases that you may not have access to that can help locate people.

3) Wait a period of time and then mail a letter (could be a blank envelope) to the last known address for the tenant (could be your property) and write "Return Service Requested" above the delivery address.  If/when the tenant files a change of address with the post office, you can get their new address by doing this.  (You may have to try this more than once if it takes them a while to file the change of address, but I've heard of landlords sending annual Christmas cards until one finally comes back with the new address.)  Here's some more information on how to do this: How to Find Someone’s Forwarding Mail Address Without Them Knowing.

4) Lastly, if you simply cannot get their new address to serve them, consider reporting the debt to a debt reporting service such as Rent Recovery Service or AOA Debt Reporting Service who will go after them AND report it to the credit bureaus so it appears on their credit report.  You don't need a judgment to do this and you do a service to other landlords by warning them about this problem tenant.  Plus, who knows, some day the tenant may want it off their credit report and decide to contact you and pay off the debt.  You have nothing to lose.