It’s MY MONEY and I want it NOW!

[Ivan Loza]

Anybody here have any success stories retrieving money owed from previous tenants? 

One of my ex tenants left the house a mess, owes me a couple months of rent and a fee for breaking the lease early. We set up a repayment plan, but as of last week he begun ghosting me. I get sent straight to voicemail.

I’m leaning towards using a commission based collection agency. That or a straight gangsta..

Any tips? A guideline to follow perhaps?

[John Chapman]

Sorry.  You're in Texas. No wage garnishment here.  Collections are near impossible, especially when tenants are broke (which is the most likely scenario with your tenant).  You can waste time and energy pursuing in court but chances are not good of collecting.  Just take the lesson learned and move on.