Tenant left and owes money... what to do?

[chizzledfrmston]

My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Tucson, Arizona

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask but my father has a little situation he wants me to help him with. He has a few rental homes and one of the tenants made a bunch of commitments (fix up the mess he made, pay for damages etc..). My dad still has the emails saved of the commitments he made. The guy did 1/2 the work on the house he promised to do and just straight up disappeared. I have some of his information like drivers license, name, and SS #.

How exactly would I go about perusing him? Small Claims?

A friend recommended I'm supposed to contact a Justice of Peace?

Thank you

 

[Jessica2010]

How would a just of the peace find the tenant?

Looks like you need a private investigator or a bill collection company. Have you tried typing their name in google? Or their name and the name of your state? I bet within an hour I could find out where the person lived just by looking on google.

I wouldn't try playing private eye by using their SS#, without a private investigator's license. I think, personally, landlords should have to pay the same bonding fees that PI's have to pay, after all they have access to people's SS# and god only knows, anyone who can breathe and is over 18 can rent out a place.

The SS# was given to the LL to run a credit check not for the son to hunt the tenant down with. You are not the landlord or an agent for the landlord. As much as you want to help your dad, and I certainly understand, so would I, don't go after them yourself. Help your father by giving him advice, but make him do the leg work. You don't want to break any laws... I know if any of my landlords gave my SS# to anyone, I'd be really upset. I think it may even be against the law to give other people's SS# out to people who the person didn't give permission to.

Are you an agent for your father's apartments and were you one while they rented?

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Steps to suing someone in Arizona:

Untitled Document

Most of these types of lawsuits are handled through Small Claims court. Arizona does have a $2500 limitation with this court.

If your fathers tenant has given him permission to run his credit check (and this permission is in writing) that is one option of attempting to find his new address. However, it seems to take quite a while before a new address is updated on a credit report. Sometimes a simple "google" or "facebook" search will bring up an address.

Gail

 

[Jessica2010]

Steps to suing someone in Arizona:

Untitled Document

Most of these types of lawsuits are handled through Small Claims court. Arizona does have a $2500 limitation with this court.

If your fathers tenant has given him permission to run his credit check (and this permission is in writing) that is one option of attempting to find his new address. However, it seems to take quite a while before a new address is updated on a credit report. Sometimes a simple "google" or "facebook" search will bring up an address.

Gail

Facebook especially is great for that. I've found plenty of people that way. Google works if you know the city and state, then again it takes awhile because they need to have a landline or get mail etc. to be in the google index.

 

[applecruncher]

Google works if you know the city and state, then again it takes awhile because they need to have a landline or get mail etc. to be in the google index.

Not necessarily. Often when you google a person's name a feature called Llinked In will show where they work (for professional positions). Also, whitepages.com can be useful - especially if the person has a very odd name.