So, here's the deal.
Three months ago, this girl moved into my apartment. We had an oral agreement that her rent would be $750/month. Two months ago, she had some problem at her work that ended up with her pretty much having to quit (I didn't get all of the details but it was some sort of sexual and/or physical harassment). She said she was going to be late on rent for May, and I figured, fine, if it's a few days late, I'll front the money, and she can pay me back later, because we all hit rough patches in life. She agreed (obviously).
I never got paid for may.
June comes along and she says that she is going to get money from her parents to help her out and that she's moving out come July 1st.
Well, the money never came. Her plans fell through, and its my understanding she's staying in a hostel somewhere, looking for work and what not.
Because I didn't have a written agreement with her, I made her sign a promissory note indicating that she owed me $1,500 and that the entirety of the debt would be due "on or before" her move out date, that was on June 13th.
Now, it's July 17th. I still don't have my money, and although she's ostensibly "moved out" she still has belongings in my apartment which she "can't" bring to the hostel. I have no reliable way of contacting her (her phone is "broken.") and I only receive sporadic text messaged excuses. When she came on the 1st to get some of her stuff, she said she'd pay me from her student loan check "9am, tomorrow." Come to find out, she doesn't have her student loan check.
I do know her parents' contact information and called them on the 3rd, indicating that I could not reach her, that she still had things in my apartment, and that she owed me $1,500. Apparently they got in contact with her because I got another text message excuse today.
Do I take her to small claims court? I feel as if I've been far more generous than I should have been, and that she pretty much took advantage of that generosity. But on the other hand, if I wait a few days I might be able to avoid the entire headache of dealing with small claims court.
Also, when is her property considered abandoned?

