Tips for Out of Town Landlord Navigating Eviction and Money Judgement

[Sarah Hadassah Negrón]

Hey all! Super new to BiggerPockets, and the forums came highly recommended for my situation! I'm an out of town landlord for a condo unit in Chicago, and I am nearing the end of a lengthy eviction process for tenant nonpayment of rent. I'm currently awaiting 24hr notice of sheriff eviction, and I got court approval to move forward with money judgement for past due rent collection. Any tips for how to even get started with collecting? Is this something that can be navigated solo, or would folks recommend I hire a lawyer to manage the process? Also any tips for dealing with sheriff arrival remotely? I have a local representative who can meet the sheriff, but I've heard the arrival window can be quite long and the sheriff won't stay there long. Any insights are most welcome! 

[John Warren]

@Sarah Hadassah Negrón welcome to the forums! 

For the eviction day, you will need someone extremely reliable to be on site. You have to be there early (15-20 minutes before the first possible stop) and you have to approach the sheriff. You also want to have the key if possible so you can slip the lock open... otherwise they bash down the door. Then you are stuck getting someone to secure the unit if they do that.  

In terms of a money judgement, I would be much more focused on getting possession back. We have been chasing money judgements for a few years and haven't gotten anything of substance back. We use the collection service through our PM software, but most of these folks become virtually uncollectable at a certain point.