collections for section 8 contract from 2005

[Schwippsy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IL
These are the facts that I have :
-I co-owned a building for a CHA tenant in 2005
- Section 8 contract was March 2005 - March 2006
--Section 8 terminated initial agreement effective 12/31/05, since tenant
broke the lease and moved out 12/19/05 without giving proper (45 days) notice ( this is a seperate contract between the tenant and myself , not CHA).
-5 years later they now have sent this to collection to make me pay what they paid me for January 2006 and partial Feb 06. They have never brought this to my attention before. So this hit me out of the blue.
I do not know how to handle this. I am a single mother of two young ones without child support, was laid of beginning of the recession and it is just messy times.
I need these collection calls to stop. Do I have anything on my side that the tenant broke the contract and I expected to get paid another 45 days after the move out day? How do I go about it, what are my best options when talking to the collection agencies?
Thanks so much for your time and input.

 

[racer72]

Your remedy would have been to go after the tenant that moved out before the lease expired. But you have waited too long for that. What made you think you were entitled to the section 8 allowance after the tenant moved out? Please don't say that the lease had not expired, that is not a valid reason.