My former landlord has $1200.00 of mine. I went to Markham court and the judge ruled in my favor and proceeded to give the landlord 30 days to respond...which ended on 12.8.05
Now I do not know what to do next. Going thru the courts phone tree is confusing and so far fruitless. Does anyone have experience with such things and might offer some suggestions for next steps. I really need the $ and hope I do not need the services of an attorney....but maybe a collection company?
I think the only way you will get your money is to have it taken directly taken from his pay check, which means unfortuanetly, back in the courthouse. Can't you have him held in contempt of court for not complying with a court order?
I work in the legal field and I would suspect that there should have been a status date for court after the landlord had time to respond. If not, I would assume that the judge would sign a judgment in your favor if there was no response. My understanding is that the tricky part is collecting on such judgments. A great resource that I discovered is through the Chicago Tribune website. I submitted a request for information on a company and within 24 hours I was given a very helpful response complete with web links. I went in through their website and found a link to an inquiry email address. I am not sure if you have to be a subscriber or not. It is worth a shot. I wish you the best and am very sorry for the loss of your mother.
Hopefully, someone else has better advice than this to offer you! I'm not sure what would be the best way, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go back to court. If the landlord was given 30 days and did not pay.. the court can force them to pay. perhaps go to an attorney that offers a free consult (most do) to find out what your options are. Who knows, maybe the court can garnish money from the landlord and force him to pay you!
I am sorry to hear about all that has happened. go in person to the courthouse, they will direct you where to go, I have gone to the courthouse for other reasons and they are good about directing you where to go and giving you real numbers, not just the run around. You should not need a lawyer, but in the event that you do, depending on income, you can get aid in this department as well. Too many people get away with too much and too much of our money, I hope you get every dime from your land lord. I would also contact the building owner, if he is different from the landlord, if they are one in the same, contact the better business bureau. Lastly, document EVERYTHING!
good Luck
M.
Mother of 2
Teacher of the 4th grade.
Hi J.-
My mom had a similar problem recently. She went to a lawyer for advice, and this guy went crazy for it! He offered her to go after the guy and get his legal fees from the guy that was screwing her over. He wasn't abiding by certain statutes of a rental property and threatened to keep her $ after she left. So you may want to just contact an attorney to ask. They may be able to at least tell you what the next step would be for results. Keep strong- and everything will work out- just keep pushing. You have the judgment in your favor at least, and that's a major plus in your corner.
Good luck!
B.
