What to do if one of my roommates is refusing to pay their portion of utilities?
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What to do if one of my roommates is refusing to pay their portion of utilities?
Since all of the utilities are in my name, I collect the money from each roommate at the end of the month. However, one roommate refuses to pay. I figured I should file a small claims suit to collect the $120 he owes me. However, I do not have his permanent address (required for the small claims paperwork) and our landlord (apartment complex) will not release it. What should I do? Can I subpoena the apartment complex to release it? Is there an easier way?
Asked on July 25, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, Michigan
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
In order to get a subpoena to obtain the address, you would need a judge to issue a subpoena. An easier method would be to have a process server do a skip trace to obtain the current address of your roommate. You will need your roommate's address to serve your roommate with your Small Claims Court lawsuit. You can find process servers under attorney services in the Yellow Pages or online. If you win your Small Claims Court case, you can recover court costs which would include the court filing fee and the process server fee.
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