Small Claims Court is made for these types of disputes. You do not need a lawyer, you can present your case by yourself - just like the "courts" that you see on TV - i.e. Judge Judy. If the defendant does not appear, an automatic judgement is awarded to you. Your problem will be in collecting the judgement. If the defendant refuses to pay, you can have a lien placed on their property. Because they are renters, it would appear that the only asset you could attach would be their car. If you do that, they will be unable to trade it in or sell it until the lien is satisfied.
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