MN Tenant Lost Lawsuit but Still Won't Pay

[Daniel Windingstad]

Hello! 

This is my first time posting here, and first time going through a lawsuit! 

So... my roommate/tenant left before his lease was up (it was signed and agreed upon) and stopped paying rent. He left the place very messy and it took a lot of effort to get his stuff out and for him to pick up, which also made it difficult to find a new roommate. 

I took him to conciliation court and won by default, but the court said they don't garnish his wages, or do anything to help me collect... and he still refuses to pay. I believe there is an option to issue a "judgement" and I have no idea how to do that yet (gotta do some research!) Does anyone know what I can do? Maybe go to a collection agency? What have people done in the past? 

Thank you! :)

[Keaton Frieberg]

Hi @Daniel Windingstad 

I'm not sure about in Minnesota, but in Texas one of the best strategy's is to record an "Abstract of Judgment" against the tenant in the real property records. The idea is that one day if the defendant tenant comes across enough money to purchase a home and then later sell it, the title company will collect funds from the proceeds of the sale to pay the judgment recorded by the plaintiff.