Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Florida
I have deadbeat tenants who are supposed to pay every 2 weeks but have not paid since April 11th. I have hired an attorney and the eviction was filed yesterday but not for past due rents. I specifically indicated in my communications with the law firm that I wanted damages/past due rent. The response I have gotten from the paralegal at the attorney's office is that they do not handle damages. What are my options at this point? I have emailed the paralegal for the attorney and left a message earlier today but still have not received a response. IF the tenants move out before the summons for damages is issued it will take a while to serve them. The paralegals email told me to send go to collections or get an attorney after the eviction goes through. I thought I was hiring a lawyer to handle an eviction with damages. Will I be able to send the past due rent to collection/credit bureau without a judgment from the court for past due rent or is the eviction process enough to get it into collections/credit bureau?
3 Answers from Attorneys
They are separate issues. Eviction is straight forward. Collection of damages is much more complicated and expensive. You must obtain a money judgment.
You need to get a judgment for past due rent. If you don't like your attorneys (or they don't talk to you directly or explain what they are doing), you can hire another. Regards,
YOu need to read the contract you signed with the attorney who is representing you - if you feel you paid too much for the services that you expected then as for a meeting with the attorney. It would appear at this point that there is no contract as you both did not agree to what was to be done.
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