How do I find out where my evicted tenants moved to?

[Sarah Young]

I evicted my tenants last week for non-payment of rent. They were out at 5pm Monday night. My Realtor went by the house yesterday while FaceTiming me, and they trashed the place. Literal garbage everywhere, carpet I replaced in January smells like pee, dirty diapers on the floor, food everywhere, coloring on walls and doors, holes in walls, furniture everywhere. Repairman is estimating $5k in repairs. They still owe me a few hundred dollars from the eviction judgement, which I'm sure they won't pay. Their security deposit went to cover their last month's rent unpaid. My lawyer says I can re-open the eviction judgement for the cost of repairs, or take them to small claims court, but I have to know where they moved to. I know the city and state, but I need an address for the Sheriff to serve them. Anyone know how I can get this information? 

[Marc Winter]

First a few questions:  how often was the property inspected during the tenant's occupancy?  Who was listed as an emergency contact on their rental application?  How long is the eviction procedure in your location?  How well did you screen these people?

For some answers:  you can do an FOIA request to the postmaster at the post office closest to your property.  IF the tenants submitted a forwarding address, you will get that information.  Many times a skipper won't give their next address--yours is probably not the only bill they ran out on.

You can subscribe to a skip/trace service.  We use Experian TLOxp which will give you almost everything but the subject's blood type.  Or you can hire a private investigator/skip tracing agency.

However, right now you are too emotionally involved in this matter to move on it.  Take a deep breath, take a break and think it through.  What will going after them really accomplish?  Even if you can wring any money out of them (very doubtful) it won't pay for your costs in time, money and stress.

What I would recommend is spend another $50--75 to record the judgment in your County records office so that other landlords can be notified about these thieves and vandals.  If we all did this, we all would be better off.  

AND, sometimes a tenant is ready to buy a house themselves, and their representative will be calling you asking you to settle the judgment so they can close on their property.

That happened to us this week.  Nope, not very often, but hey, ya neva know.