IF they have a job you should be able to collect, if they do not you are probably wasting your time but getting a judgement will sometimes pay dividends in the future.

Grow a pair and talk to them, it's a cowardly act to hide from a phone conversation of all things, and shows your own judgement of your own actions, to hide from communications as you are.     

My tenant has appealed the money judgement in my recent eviction saga.

If a court determined you owe him anything, you have the opportunity to pay the judgement which would remove the lien.

To collect any of the money you feel you are owed you will most likely need to file a lawsuit in small claims court and get a judgement, which will most likely never be collected on.One option that I've used in the past is to offer to release the tenant from the lease for a flat fee.

Here is some useful information regarding reporting of civil judgements to credit bereaus:https://www.creditrepair.com/blog/credit-repair/ma...In lights of this information,  when I evict tenants I only ask for possession of the property back. 

It is a good idea to get a judgement.

I stand by my advice as a place to start for a NEW capital raiser NOT for a hot shot big time developer like you.People wanting to get into commerical real estate need to network and educate themselves and they can BUILD their network as they go.One of the best things about public forums is people often identify themselves as lacking in judgement and character.

Our standard protocol is to have tenants pay online through ACH or credit card but if a tenant has multiple NSF's or is going through the eviction process and ends up paying prior to judgement (we have to accept payment in CO), our lease states they must pay in certified funds. 

I know that about a year ago a lot of the hedge fund investor groups came through and bought a lot of property, from my judgement that movement pushed up the purchasing prices by about 10% in a few months alone.