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Landlords and Property Mangers
Get Paid for Eviction Judgments
Thousands of cases, millions of results
Paying rent and not damaging property was the point.
Most businesses that rent property will eventually have a tenant that does not pay or causes damage to their property. Some will fail to pay, but also stay (rent free) in the property. An eviction removes them, but you are still owed for the costs of the eviction and the unpaid rent. We're here to fix that.
What is an eviction judgment?
Once a tenant stops paying rent or needs to be removed from a property, a landlord must begin the eviction process to get the tenant out. The heart of this process is the landlord stating that the tenant is improperly in the landlord's property (i.e. they are "unlawfully detaining" it). The landlord will typically use the special law designed just for evictions. If all goes well, the court will rule that the tenant must leave. Then what?
Evictions in Washington State do not always result in a judgment for money. An order for a writ of restitution may or may not include a judgment for money owed. This may be due to a settlement with the tenant or because the tenant was never personally served. When the Court enters a judgment, the order will speak about unpaid rent, legal fees, court costs, and other similar expenses. Once that judgment is entered the Court will not do anything to enforce the judgment. That is where we come in.
What collection options are there for eviction judgments?
A judgment from an eviction is, mostly, the same as any other judgment. A debtor's wages and bank account may be garnished. Real and personal property are, at least technically, subject to potential seizure and sale.
It is important to retain all records about the tenant that may be helpful in collecting. Don't lose the original rental application or any forwarding address. Did the tenant ever tell a manager where the tenant is working? Did the tenant ever pay with a check? Maybe the tenant's exact job is not known, but is known to work in a certain trade or industry. All such information can be helpful for current or future collecting.