Hello, I had to evict a tenant in March and they left owing 5 months rent and legal fees for the eviction. I filed a small claims to try and collect the past due rent but the tenants appear to have split up and left no forwarding address. The paperwork with the court has been returned to the court undeliverable.

I need to have the sheriff serve them with the court papers but need a valid address and can't find one. From internet searches one of the tenants appears to have moved out of state which makes it even more difficult.

I've tried searching the internet and facebook but no luck.

Any suggestions or recommendations in locating them ?

Thanks

Send each a certified letter with signature required/return receipt to the rental address. If they put in a forwarding address and they don't sign for it, in about a month it will make its way back to you and the new address will be under the yellow sticker returning to sender.

I missed the no forwarding address on sheriff paperwork.

LLOTF,

Good advice on getting the vehicle VIN number.

I'll add that to the documents I require at lease signing. Either get a picture or make a copy of their vehicle registration and also look to verify it.

Thank you for everyone who responded.

They are definitely trying to avoid accepting the court paperwork. I did send a registered letter to them previously regarding the security deposit to the address they rented and they signed for it. Their mail is forwarded to a local post office box and I suspect they just returned the court paperwork as undeliverable or something like that.

I don't have the vin or license plate information.

I called the local sheriff's office and was told the court only recognizes the sheriff's office to deliver the paperwork in person so I can't hire a private process server and the sheriff will only attempt delivery to the address I provide them. They won't look up any information on the tenants.

I'm thinking I may hire someone to do a "skip trace" to get their new address and then pay the sheriff to serve them at the new address.

Thanks again.

Bob

Since you have retained their application and their authorization to pull their credit report, a fresh check will often get you a current address.

Facebook sometimes reveals much useful information. Tenants Professional licensing can help.

Do you have the last place of employment where they worked.

Their employer cannot tell you where they went but if you go to the location and start a conversation with an employee they may tell you.

I had a girl working at Sears. She skipped town owing me. I called the employer and didn't get info. but I went to the store, ahem, looking for a new range. I asked for the girl in question saying, " Good afternoon, I usually purchase from Nicole. May I see her, please?" The other worker said she was really sorry but Nicole was fired. I acted upset, asked her to show me ranges and discussed Nicole as though she was my long lost friend. I found out where she was working, in another town.

Bob (NH)

Let me try saying this without stepping on anyone’s toes. Sometimes I am a little too blunt.

You mention only the sheriff can serve a summons for court.

Well, here in Missouri that was what I was led to believe in one county and in another county only the sheriff or the five special process servers could serve the papers.

Therefore, I got to thinking. Only a sheriff can serve in one county and the sheriff and five others in another county. This led me to going to our Missouri statutes (RSMO) and our supreme court rules to learn about serving people. Low and behold ALMOST anyone can serve papers on someone. There are only a couple of exceptions that prevents someone from serving papers.

Now, when I need papers served, I just go find a friend (or a drunk on the street) and take them to serve papers (which I have to fill out as most drunks can't read) and then take the drunk to a notary to notarize they served the papers. Make sure the drunk has a drivers license for ID.

So far the court has accepted the served summons.

I suggest you look up your state laws and find out if only the sheriff can serve papers or can others also serve papers.

Next. Before sending a certified letter Return Receipt Requested as suggested by (Still learning NH) ask your post office if they collect signatures on the little green cards you should get back. Our post office will just write C-19 on the green card and send it back to me. I talked to the post office and they said “COVID” and so they think they do not have to get signatures. However, I pressed them a little harder and they said if I would have sent the letter “Certified – Return receipt requested – restricted delivery) then they would have to get a signature. GO FIGURE.

Finding a diamond may not be believable and not truthful. However, it's a real good chance that residents who leave owing money, also leave a few (or a lot of) pennies on the floor in the house.

Thanks again for the responses.

I called a private process server this morning and was told that in New Hampshire only the sheriff can serve the defendant on the initial complaint from the court. Process servers can serve other paperwork but not the initial complaint.

I'm still working on locating the tenant so the sheriff can serve them.

Bob

File a police report on the Tenent in t he town the rental property is. give the Police all documents you have on them (when they applied to rent your place, did they put their License Plate Number, or other ID? Social Security Number?

Ask the policeman to give you the street and town they moved to, if you can provide some kind of Searchable ID. if you know their VEHICLE, you can find out their address, by riding up and down the street a few times until you see their vehicle.

Jeffrey's idea is a good one.

In years past when have held a good deposit, I've always wanted to get the money to the people so preemptive to them moving I always get together and promise that I will bring the money to them.

I realize in your case. This might not work but following through serving notice if you want to chase them, I wish you the best of luck. But you go through all of the exercises and ultimately though spent $59 and go bankrupt!

Currently I've got one and these are unauthorized occupant's and in light of the fact that in Oregon you not able to do, evictions, my attorney and I have put this together because both of my original tenants have died.

I am not seeking anything from the occupants in the property. Although I have their information and I have told them that if they did not want this to chase them for the rest of their lives and be a problem for the rest of their lives with their credit, they should be very careful and make sure that they get everything out of the home.

Just to be safe I'm spending a few extra dollars and having the Sheriff the lockout, this way I have got my backside covered.

To your success

Flies--I just wrote "important paperwork," I did not specify important to who! The paperwork is important to the landlord. One LL wrote on here that he used to say they left some money in the house, and he was not lying bc he always found some pennies strewn about.

1st and foremost-- always always always file with the court for none payment of rent.

Turning over to collection company -- well our experience is this: they try but most collection companies are looking for quick and easy accounts to collect on. Another issue is even if it goes to collection you will still need to appear in court to represent yourself and claim. So we say learn how to do it yourself.

BK cost a lot more than 59.00 in toady's world. Yes it use to be cheap but now the debtor needs a lot of UPFRONT money to file.

regarding the vehicle ID ( VIN) number.

How do you get access to their addresses using the VIN? How do you "Verify" that is their VIN?

regarding the vehicle ID ( VIN) number.

How do you get access to their addresses using the VIN? How do you "Verify" that is their VIN?

Glen,

i was LUCKY to get the policeman to tell me the street and town the ex-tenant lived at now. i had to call the police to get into the house when she left to vacate a week or 2 early, and she left me, l et's say DAMAGE. guess he felt bad for me. i had other issues with her too, she was a piece of S--T to the max.

i had to drive up and down the street about 5 times before i spotted her car, parked on the side of the house, so close to the side garage.

i screen beyond good now, i was naive then w/ the first few tenants. now they have to have all the qualifications that I need to assure me that they never foreclosed on a home, make enough money (ask for the last 4 paychecks); go through a Realtor to get a full credit report, including criminal records, where they lived in the last 20 years (and for how long),, what they owe on each credit card, how many months they didn't pay their monthly payments on their credit cards. i turn down 10-20+ each time i need to rent out.

Glen,

i was LUCKY to get the policeman to tell me the street and town the ex-tenant lived at now. i had to call the police to get into the house when she left to vacate a week or 2 early, and she left me, l et's say DAMAGE. guess he felt bad for me. i had other issues with her too, she was a piece of S--T to the max.

i had to drive up and down the street about 5 times before i spotted her car, parked on the side of the house, so close to the side garage.

i screen beyond good now, i was naive then w/ the first few tenants. now they have to have all the qualifications that I need to assure me that they never foreclosed on a home, make enough money (ask for the last 4 paychecks); go through a Realtor to get a full credit report, including criminal records, where they lived in the last 20 years (and for how long),, what they owe on each credit card, how many months they didn't pay their monthly payments on their credit cards. i turn down 10-20+ each time i need to rent out.