i rented out a room to a friend of a friend, he owes me about $800 for rent and bills. i am not sure where he is now, most likely in NZ
Is there anyway i could get it back? tried to contact him but he always give me false promises.
Do you think it is worth it to go to small claim court? (im in WA)
I have a rental agreement that he signed and his car rego.
How to Get Back Money from People Who Owe You?
Chrotzo on 21/04/2015 - 16:33
Comments
Before going to the court, why not try telling him that you are going to contact his relatives and friends about it?
I think it's slightly mean and I think it falls under playing dirty but, I think it is an option, especially if you don't want to go to court.
thanks mitch might try that.. at least not as low as borrowing money and then just run away :(
What I am worried about is, it will impact your relationship with that friend. Not to mention, some might even think that you are going too far because he's your "mate". I've been told off by someone for trying to bring someone to a court, so that's why I've mentioned that it might be consider as playing dirty.
Not that I encourage it but staying on the same path as Mitch above a client of mine has done the following:
name and shame on website (make sure it is hosted in country with free speech laws, you put evidence on there such as rental agreement, witness statement etc.; and most of ALL you do not breach any privacy or defamation laws where you are.) Be objective, matter of fact, not insulting and no cursing.
While this is a bit "dirty" and "nasty" this way you might get his attention and you warn others who could fall prey to this person in the future.
You could also contact him or his family, say that this will happen and give him a chance to pay up and if he doesn't, then you can do it.
Of course, my advice would be to check with your state CAT to see if you can lodge a claim against him here to get a judgment/title, which can then be enforced as soon as he enters Australia again. I am not sure whether you can request notification of entry from immigration but maybe investigate that. I know that the government gets such notification if money is owed.
If all else fails, you have to sue proper, probably involving overseas service of documents if you sue here, or enlist the help of NZ solicitor to sue in NZ court.
That might not be worth it for $800.
Lodge a minor claim in an NZ court and have it considered under NZ law?
which means i have to fly to nz? not even sure i could find him.
I was assuming that you can just lodge the claim without visiting and see what happens.
Reading the site now they don't even deal with refusals to pay or landlord/tenant disputes. My bad.
It may still be worth sending a formal notice on a court form to see if it makes him pay. You can find people on the electoral roll or maybe hire a private investigator.
Hold your breath and start counting…. I've lost count the amount of people I've helped out and still owe me…. Sounds like we are both what sums up the word "sucker". ;)
Yea, people continue to surprise me. lesson learnt i guess. :(
Then that means your friend is also a sucker too as he vouched for this guy.
When it comes to social circles, "Birds of a feather flock together".
That's true too. I think this type of people have radar to find our type of people. It sucks how people think it's ok to s**t on another person like that. Lesson learnt? I keep thinking the same thing, but I also like to believe in the best of people. Vicious circle…
Oi, the saying is that guy. No need to bring me into it :p
You guys are what sums up to be nice good hearted people, don't let people like this fool make you bitter or less likely to help someone when they really need it.
It happens to all of us, and there will always be people whos ethics, or shall I say moral standards, don't meet what rest of us expect.
Karma will get him :/
and you know that next time you help someone out you get the $s in advanceKarma will get him :/
And the Boogeyman.
Don't forget god.
(I'd have been sure to stoke the fires of hell with that one - if it existed)
Yeh mostly the boogeyman
And the Boogeyman.
I am sorry to tell you this but:
"John Wick killed the Boogeyman"
I would like to believe in Karma.
Sadly, it's not true.
Think about how many good people get illness's and are dirt poor.
And then how many a-holes who screw people over have millions in the bank and are happily living a long life.
you could message him and say he has some mail with a cheque in his name, a heritance from a long lost aunty, you can bank it for him if he sends you 800 dollars
you made me lol. worth losing the $800
800 bucks I think it's gone. Do you need to change the keys in case he comes back. Did he leave any items u can sell?
I didn't realise OP was the Prince of Nigeria
Have you tried passing on his details to Mick Gatto?
I know a kiwi guy that quickly left town here in WA, but that was over 6 months ago now.
Not all us Kiwis are bad eggs. I've been ripped off by 6 Aussies in the 9 years I've been here…
If you can manage to get ripped off by aussies….you wont survive asia !!!
LOL
If he's on Facebook, get a list of all his "friends" and then message them. Also, post on his wall that he's a lowlife scumbag. Shame him out.
Create a fake facebook account and befriend him with an attractive looking page, then you will have access to his contacts and even trick him to a 'date'!
What a world! I borrowed some money from a friend couples of months ago and I am trying to chase him to return it!. Each time I met him he keeps saying I don't need them right now will take them later,
Are you a bikie?
If not, you need to post your friend's contacts as a deal in the Financial section :p
I'll hold it for you and give it to your friend when he needs it.
I don't need them right now will take them later
What the heck are you trying to pay him back with?
Eneloops?
To the OP.
Think of the $800 as a life lesson. Move on, live and learn and remember it for life. It may save you millions or your life savings one day.
Hmm… I was thinking about something like this, karma.
Doesn't happen to me. I do something really good, like returning a $700 phone to it's owner when I could have kept it… Also, giving away free food like subway and drinks to hobos, and more.
I don't get any good will in return, or anything. People still treat me like crap, and the world hasn't improved. F*)+ karma.
It sucks doesn't it. while people who do all kind of nasty stuff seems to have it better.
Yep, you seem to get me.
"The world isn't fair," I hear that a lot.
I also hear much about karma.
… They're incompatible. Karma isn't real. You only think it's real because you want justice, fairness and equality.
But in real life, there's so much inequality. The world isn't fair…
That's enough thinking for one day.
I believe in Karma too.
If we do good then we shouldn't look for return. When you didn't look for a return, it will come to you in avalanche in unexpected ways.
When it doesn't come, I would say it's just that the time hasn't come.@chonghe: 'The time hasn't come'…..and you can wait forever, and it may never come. The only people who believe in 'karma' are the Buddhists who use it as a means of consoling themselves that: when someone does soemthing bad, hopefully ONE day, a God or your God will stick up for you and punish that bad person OR: you like to feel that if you did a good deed with no thanks but a slap in the face, you will be rewarded (don't ask me by whom) some day. Don't believe in this consoling self serving karma @#$. If karma so exists, tell me why there are an equal number of baddies and goodies in the world , both enjoying or suffering at the same time. You can be a great person and good samaritan, but nothing except dung gets thrown in your life and it gets worse thankyou. You can be a crook, a swindler and a fraudster, but still get away with it, (even a murderer!)and your so called 'karma' never catches up with you - you lead a relatively comfortable life, thank you very much. Part of living is that some people will always have it good, and others will always have it bad coming to them, regardless. The rest lie in between. People who use 'karma' as a way of life to excuse or stand up for something to me they are unrealistic and only deluding/consoling themselves. But each to his own - and if believing in 'karma' does make a person do good all his life, hey why not!
@momov3:
Not sure why my short comment will stir your interest to write this, but yeah I couldn't agree more with your last sentence.
To clarify karma is about how I look at life, that "what goes around comes around" and "everything happens for a reason", not really related to any religion (why everything has to be related to religion recently?)
And regarding good people don't get good karma or bad people still live the life they want, it's up to you to believe. If you believe then you will do good deed (as you say why not); if you don't, live the life as you want as long as they are legal, nothing wrong.
Accidentally negged you because the train ride became a bit bouncy. Karma works without the need for belief, and finds its own timing. It writes a better script than we do.
ODD thought:
Keep doing things well. The good karma you do might be for the downtrodden hobo (subway and drinks) in his case, you are simply fulfilling it. And because you cant help having a fairly positive nature.
Anyway cant do too much harm trying to be a decent person.Just another odd thought: Maybe you can't give yourself good karma. You'll get yours someday (?) because someone feels like being decent.
I want to add that I agree with what you both said, life's not very fair, nasty people really do seem to benefit in the end. Download RaMaDaSa by Snatam Kaur (Bound Lotus) if you want you'll feel better.
If you can get hold of him (by Facebook etc.) offer him a deal. Say if he pays you $500 you will go away, if not you will employ every legal tactic available to chase him for the $800, plus interest plus costs you incur in chasing him - might shake him out. I picked up this tip from a Landlord who told me he offered to pay delinquent tenants to get them out, cheaper in the long run than going through the courts.
Try yelling aggressively at him, always worked for me to get what i want… over the phone that is or in person, but considering he is in NZ.. than probably threaten to hire thugs to break one of his finger if he doesn't comply.
Was he Gollum from LOTR?
Its really sad that the people who lend the money to others try to figure out how NOT to "offend" or make the other person angry, when the borrower knows he can get away with it and act like it never happens. Most likely they think the borrower forgot, or assume its a gift for being a "friend".
99% chance these sorts of people are moving on to their next victim! They will emotionally blackmail you into thinking the borrower is such a horrible person for not lending the money, or being cruel for asking for it back!
There are some genuine people out there…somehwere….You have no hope as he's a friend (maybe ex by now) and if he's fobbing you off with lies, don't hope. Pity we don't have those Judge Judy courts where you could bring him in to claim your money owing. After someone does this to you and has taken advantage of your friendship, are you still friends with him? You should question their sincerity, he' probably going to use you again.
Never loan any money that you can't afford to lose. That's my motto.
How do you gauge what you can afford to lose?
What's meant here is not what you can afford to lose financially, because in truth, everyone can afford to lose a bit right? It's how much your mental state can take, for eg someone wants to borrow $50 from you. First question you ask yourself is 'If I don't ever see the money again, will I be very angry, upset, sleepless, tear my hair out, maybe make an enemy of the borrower?" If the answer is 'yes', don't lend! If you're OK with it, then go ahead and lend. Actually, when you lend someone money, it's like kissing the money bye bye even where there is a signed pact. Especially with your own children!
ahhh makes much more sense… yeah it can get to me sometimes.
From my experience loaning money to people, most people comfortable with asking for a loan aren't the kind of people that you want to loan money to.
Although one trick my wife accidentally learnt was that you can quickly gauge what kind of person someone is if they suddenly need a loan after finding out that you'd helped someone else out.
Last time my wife did that I was so offended by the false sob story that I instantly gave up on those people.As for how you can get the money back. If you can manage to get in contact with them then try politely bringing up the subject, express your understanding that $800 isn't easy to find and suggest they set up $100 a week/fortnight.
Although it's not ideal, you may not get any back, may get $200 or even all of it back. Some people just can't find a way out of a debt and need to be given an alternative, flaring up and yelling at someone is far more likely to annoy them in to avoiding you more than help you out especially if that person lives far away.One thing is for sure, the guy who borrowed the mula from OP is not any bank's favorite customer! Probably will not be able to secure a home loan either.
I have a long list (ledger) of people who owe me money. I even have their current address and contact information, next of kin, etc. It's not easy getting people to pay up and debt collectors are next to useless.
Don't be so sad; I have $21k loaned out to friends…
When lending to friends or family, you pretty much have to see it as a donation, money you'll never see again.
Yup agreed. Which is why I never loan out any money to family or friends unless they are very small amounts.
Plenty of investors will also say the same. Lending money to family and friends you should NEVER expect it to be returned and it will usually sour your relationship when you want it returned. Which is why you should never introduce money into an relationship with friends or family.
Money changes people, it also changes relationships.
Before going to court make sure you have evidence else there is no point to go to court.
The way around this is to ask your friend for $1000 he will freak out and say he ows you only $800 there's your proof.
Then threaten legal action in a playful manner.
If else fails small claims is your only option.😁✌️you wont get it back, I have lent thousands to so called friends over the years and never seen a penny
just don't do it again
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/191261
i think we found him
quick, get scotty to run a IP check so you can find where he is!
Tell him your dad is a bikie