Bethlehem Attorney for Property Managers

Many Property Managers are able to effectively represent their clients in evicting clients at the Magistrate Court level, but are unable to continue providing services for their clients in the event the tenant appeals the judgment to the Court of Common Pleas. At that point, the Property Manager’s client is referred to legal counsel.

If you are a Property Manager looking to team up with an attorney to handle matters that reach the Court of Common Pleas, feel free to call me at (610) 417-6345. My office is located in Bethlehem, PA, and I am willing to assist clients located in Northampton County, Lehigh County, Bucks County, Monroe County, Berks County, Carbon County, Montgomery County, and surrounding areas.

I also represent Property Managers in trying to collect final judgments that have not been appealed and I have additional information on those services below.

Court of Common Pleas Representation

Our Court of Common Pleas representation covers the following areas:

  1. Filing a Complaint against the tenant seeking a judgment for possession and a monetary judgment for rent owed and damages.
  2. Striking the tenant’s appeal based on the tenant’s failure to file a Certificate of Service of the Notice of Appeal and Rule to File Complaint pursuant to Rule 1005 and Rule 1006.
  3. Striking the tenant’s supersedeas if the tenant fails to pay ongoing rent payments to the court’s escrow.
  4. Filing a motion to terminate the tenant’s supersedeas pursuant to Rule 1008 if the tenant makes a false statement on the tenant supersedeas affidavit by alleging that rent was paid in the month the appeal was filed when it was not.
  5. Representing the landlord at the Arbitration Hearing.
  6. Entering the Arbitration Award as a judgment against the tenant.
  7. Judgment collection through the wage garnishment process.

Judgment Collection Representation

Property Managers are also interested in trying to get their clients the rent that was awarded to them in the judgment. Sometimes they just tell their clients that it’s very difficult to collect judgments and better luck with the next tenants that rent from them. Judgments are difficult (but not impossible) to collect.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania law permits landlords to garnish tenant’s wages arising from a judgment obtained for rent owed in a residential lease when 42 Pa. C.S. § 8127 was amended by the Pennsylvania legislature. This amendment now allows judgment-creditors to garnish ten percent (10%) of the judgment-debtor’s net wages until the judgment is satisfied.

If you’ve obtained a landlord-tenant judgment at the Magistrate Court and the judgment is final, meaning the judgment was not appealed within thirty (30) days, feel free to give me a call at (610) 417-6345 to discuss attempting to collect the judgment through the wage garnishment process. In the event the tenant’s place of employment in Pennsylvania can verified, I can offer a contingency-fee agreement to attempt collection so there’s absolutely no monetary risk to the client.

More Information On Pennsylvania Landlord Wage Garnishment »