Locating A Tenant That Has Skipped Out On Rent

Vetting a proper tenant can take months—and even years— at premium locations. However, when a tenant vanishes into thin air without paying rent, landlords are often left in a precarious financial position. They depend on tenants’ rent payments for income and to help pay off the property’s mortgage. To make matters worse, many tenants that default on their lease have also caused expensive damages to the property. This extra repair expense must be addressed before someone else can lease in the missing tenant’s place. 

Tenants who skip-out on rent may be subject to a number of civil liabilities, including the responsibility of paying for the damages that the landlord incurs. If a tenant has defaulted on lease terms, the landlord may be able to pursue compensation for the rent owed while the unit was vacant, costs to find a new tenant, and attorney fees. However, before the landlord can pursue legal action, they have to find the tenant. This is where Linked Investigations can help.

Consultation

Landlords who consult with Linked Investigations will learn about the ways that our skilled professionals can find tenants. As part of the process, our investigators will ask what you know about the tenant and any relationships, employment history, and other connections in the community. This information can help us locate where the tenant may have been hiding out since skipping out on the rent. A private investigator can discern important information during this consultation and give advice on what steps should be taken to get you the investigative answers you need in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money.

Other Searches

Our investigators can conduct other searches to find out about the missing tenant, such as checking computer databases that show family members who live in the area. We can also check social media pages for updates on a tenant’s location. Tenants may be temporarily living with family members or friends or they may communicate about their upcoming plans to visit during the holidays. We can also check to see if the tenant is still working as another point of reference for potential location to serve deceptive tenants.

Warning against Self-Service

Some landlords may attempt to find the tenant on their own. However, many of them do not possess the knowledge or tools and wind up frustrated and will likely not find the information that they need. They often go on wild goose chases and waste more time and money by using their own resources. A licensed private investigator knows which databases, if any, to use and what information can help them locate the missing tenant.

Surveillance

We can also conduct surveillance to determine where the tenant now lives or works and determine their activity. Surveillance is often necessary when a tenant has recently moved and a database does not yet have updated/current information. Our professionals can discreetly conduct surveillance to identify the current living and employment situation of the tenant. This helps landlords determine whether a lawsuit against them will likely do any good. After all, tenants who are unemployed and who have a history of skipping out on the rent are also unlikely to pay a court judgment. Among other benefits, if the landlord has already decided to pursue a lawsuit against the tenant, surveillance helps isolate a specific time and place where the tenant can be served with legal documents.

Do you need help with a missing tenant? Linked Investigations is a full-service private investigation firm with many years of experience in helping clients just like you. Call us for a free no-obligation consultation.

During these difficult times of COVID-19 related job losses, people may be experiencing hard financial times and may need to miss a rent payment or several. This is a time when good communication can make the difference between a relatively small bump in the road and a very big problem for both landlord and tenant. Be wary of opportunists who will use the current situation as an excuse to ramp-up their schemes to bilk others out of money and personal and real estate property. Always update your contact and identifying information for your tenants and other people you conduct business with on a regular basis.