10th March 2011

Tenant Finally Pays Restitution

posted in Care and Feeding of Tenants |

So a few years back I had a tenant break a lease and attempt to move out on the sly. They did this presumably because they had caused extensive damage to one of the bathrooms, which they did not report and then wrote a bad check for their last month’s rent.

They even left a very lame hand-written note apologizing for moving out and that they would pay their late fees in arrears, blah blah blah. Of course, the late fees never materialized and the tenant was never heard from again.

Well, as a matter of policy, if a tenant passes a bad check to me and tries to disappear I file a worthless check complaint with the local state attorney’s office. This is when the wheels of justice begin to grind and creek. Though they might turn slowly, they don’t stop turning.

A full 2 and a half years after the worthless check complaint was filed, I received a check from the county Clerk of Courts in the amount of $100. This is good because this tells me that the law has finally caught up with the tenant presumably at a traffic stop and my favorite, they went to jail unexpectedly.

What will be interesting, will be to see how long it takes the tenant to pay the other $700.

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There are currently 4 responses to “Tenant Finally Pays Restitution”

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  1. 1 On March 10th, 2011, Max Sabo said:

    I had no clue you could file a check complaint with your local state attorney’s office. I will have to try that in the future. Thanks and good luck getting the rest of you money!

  2. 2 On March 10th, 2011, Roger Scime said:

    I’d like to know more about the context, if possible. In my experience, tenants aren’t always villains and landlords aren’t always angels. So, before deciding assessing moral blame either way, I’d like to know more. Sure, the tenant wrote a bad check (did he?) and damaged the bathroom (did they?), but taking the landlord’s unsupported word over the tenant’s is as bad as taking the tenant’s over the landlord’s. I’ve been on the short end of the landlord/tenant stick enough times to be skeptical.

    So, is there any way I could find out?

    And yes, I am a liberal.

  3. 3 On March 17th, 2011, TheLandlord said:

    Roger,
    The context is that the tenant committed a crime by passing a bad check and then tried to disappear. If I, as a landlord, filed a fraudulent worthless check charge, I would be the one in jail. In my filing with the State Attorney, I had to include the returned check.

    Also, I’m a liberal too. A progressive in fact, but I don’t see what that has to do with this situation.

  4. 4 On May 26th, 2011, Nathan Gesner said:

    Roger, He was handed a check that didn’t clear the bank. That’s what we refer to as an “open-and-shut case” not “he-said-she-said” as you imply. For you to question his integrity just because you’ve had a bad Landlord in the past is pretty weak. And what does ANY of this have to do with you being liberal? Are you attempting to slander liberals?

    I am frustrated when tenants leave owing large sums of money and move out of town or even to another state. There’s really no method for going after them without spending more than they owe. This is one more tool that may never produce results, but it’s free and easy. Thanks for sharing!

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