Tenant Left Apartment without paying all her rent

[Andrew P.]

Hey everybody,

I had a tenant who I had to let vacate her lease early because of the inability to pay. I found someone to cover the last month of her lease but she was still short one month's rent. This occured last February and is approaching 1 year. She has since paid me back 1/3 of the total rent but is claiming she is unable to pay the rest and has other bills and is declaring bankruptcy. What actions do I have to recouperate the rest of the payment. She has since moved out of state and the property is in Chicago, Illinois. Am I able to put some sort of lien or remark on her credit so I can get paid back if and when she declares bankruptcy? Since she moved out of state, what motivation does she have to actually pay me back and what forces will actually make her pay me back, if any? Any suggestions would be helpful!

[Michael Noto]

Be thankful she left on her own when she recognized she couldn’t afford the rent and I think it is even more surprising that she paid you 1/3 of the month that she owed you. You are only our 2/3 of 1 month rent money wise. That is a win considering what the alternative could have been.