In today’s economic climate, the chance of having a tenant move out and leave behind an outstanding balance is on the rise. Landlords must rely on tenants to provide a forwarding address upon move-out and if the tenant does not provide a forwarding address, once the tenant moves out it can be difficult to locate him/her.
Begin the process of locating a prior tenant by using the information provided in the application to rent.
1) Contact the employer listed to determine if the person is still employed by the company. If the person is no longer an employee, ask the supervisor for the address they have on file. If the person parted from the company during the current year, the employer will be required to send a W-2 by mail and would therefore have a current address on file. If the employer is not able to release the address on file, ask if they would release the information if you certify that it is to serve process.
2) Pull a credit report using the social security number provided. This is not a free service but the credit report will show the former tenant’s current address (provided enough time has lapsed) and/or current employer. If just one of the addresses provided in the credit report is correct, the landlord is able to serve process. This is the quickest and least expensive way to locate a former tenant. The cost to run a credit report online is approximately $10-$15 and the results are instantaneous.
Additional ways to locate a former tenant:
1) If you know the former tenant’s telephone number (landline only), use the Google Phone Book querying function to search the number. Go to www.google.com and in the search box type in "phonebook: XXX-XXX-XXXX" (where xxx-xxx-xxxx is the telephone number) then select “google search”. If found, the name and address will be displayed. If the reverse search yields no result, it means the number is either a cell phone or an unlisted telephone number.
2) Call directory assistance. If you know the area that the tenant is likely residing in, call directory assistance for that area. Often people will have an unlisted telephone number (i.e. not in the phonebook) but the person is included in directory assistance.
3) Address a letter to the prior tenant’s last known address and below the return address write: “Address Correction Requested. Do Not Forward”. The letter will be returned with the new address, if one is on file.
4) Use the various online people finder sites such as 411.com, addresses.com, anywho.com, directory-assistance.net, iaf.com, infospace.com, public-records-now.com, switchboard.com, theultimates.com, ussearch.com, whitepages.com, and zabasearch.com. These sites may be helpful in finding a current address, telephone number, or relative.
5) Search for the former tenant at www.abouttenants.com. A prior or current landlord may have entered the person into the databank of tenants. If not, enter the tenant's information, including the outstanding balance and request to be contacted should they apply for housing with another landlord.
6) If the former tenant purchased a house upon move-out, contact the County Assessor or County Recorder’s office to find out how to search the tax rolls. Tax rolls list the names of the property owners and the address of the property.
7) Contact the prior landlord that was listed in the application to rent. It is a long shot, but worth the few minutes it would take.
8) Calling the personal references and emergency contact provided in the application to rent will probably not be beneficial, but if you have exhausted all other possibilities, it may be worth the time.
Begin the process of locating a prior tenant by using the information provided in the application to rent.
1) Contact the employer listed to determine if the person is still employed by the company. If the person is no longer an employee, ask the supervisor for the address they have on file. If the person parted from the company during the current year, the employer will be required to send a W-2 by mail and would therefore have a current address on file. If the employer is not able to release the address on file, ask if they would release the information if you certify that it is to serve process.
2) Pull a credit report using the social security number provided. This is not a free service but the credit report will show the former tenant’s current address (provided enough time has lapsed) and/or current employer. If just one of the addresses provided in the credit report is correct, the landlord is able to serve process. This is the quickest and least expensive way to locate a former tenant. The cost to run a credit report online is approximately $10-$15 and the results are instantaneous.
Additional ways to locate a former tenant:
1) If you know the former tenant’s telephone number (landline only), use the Google Phone Book querying function to search the number. Go to www.google.com and in the search box type in "phonebook: XXX-XXX-XXXX" (where xxx-xxx-xxxx is the telephone number) then select “google search”. If found, the name and address will be displayed. If the reverse search yields no result, it means the number is either a cell phone or an unlisted telephone number.
2) Call directory assistance. If you know the area that the tenant is likely residing in, call directory assistance for that area. Often people will have an unlisted telephone number (i.e. not in the phonebook) but the person is included in directory assistance.
3) Address a letter to the prior tenant’s last known address and below the return address write: “Address Correction Requested. Do Not Forward”. The letter will be returned with the new address, if one is on file.
4) Use the various online people finder sites such as 411.com, addresses.com, anywho.com, directory-assistance.net, iaf.com, infospace.com, public-records-now.com, switchboard.com, theultimates.com, ussearch.com, whitepages.com, and zabasearch.com. These sites may be helpful in finding a current address, telephone number, or relative.
5) Search for the former tenant at www.abouttenants.com. A prior or current landlord may have entered the person into the databank of tenants. If not, enter the tenant's information, including the outstanding balance and request to be contacted should they apply for housing with another landlord.
6) If the former tenant purchased a house upon move-out, contact the County Assessor or County Recorder’s office to find out how to search the tax rolls. Tax rolls list the names of the property owners and the address of the property.
7) Contact the prior landlord that was listed in the application to rent. It is a long shot, but worth the few minutes it would take.
8) Calling the personal references and emergency contact provided in the application to rent will probably not be beneficial, but if you have exhausted all other possibilities, it may be worth the time.
