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Family renting home in foreclosure; no water since May

lohud.com — No one can track down the owner of the house, which is in foreclosure. The family renting it hasn't had water since May. When officials tried to reach the owner in his Florida house, they found that was also in foreclosure. The latest victims in the foreclosure crisis: Renters.

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  • ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -9/+53That's a crappy landlord, buying property & renting it out is not guaranteed income. Maintenance and keeping it up to code is necessary, otherwise get out of the business.
    • Pissoff, on 07/24/2008, -5/+19Captain Obvious, aaawaaaaaay!
    • bitterscream, on 07/25/2008, -1/+8There must be a bylaw or some other type of process that would allow them to pay the bill and have it deducted from the rent in these situations.
    • SocialPoison, on 07/25/2008, -1/+4@bitterscream

      There usually are laws on the books, though they do vary by state. In Washington the landlord is responsible for keeping the house in a livable condition and if (s)he doesn't, they can be held responsible in court.

      However in this article it looks like they can't even find the bastard.
      • secrity, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2There may not even be a landlord. In some cases it is not clear who even owns foreclosed houses. In many cases there isn't even a foreclosure, the "owner" simply abandons the house. It used to be that banks held the note, and then there were mortgage companies; mortgages are now held by investment companies that make derivatives look easy to understand. It is going to take time to sort the mess out.
      • crossmr, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1In Canada you can withhold the rent if the landlord doesn't meet certain basic conditions. If they withhold the rent you can be sure this guy might come looking for it. Once he does then he can be informed he must fix the house.
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1cross I wish that was the case here in America. Because in America if you withhold rent under any circumstance then the sheriff knocks on your door adn you have to pack up your stuff right there and NOW!!.GG
    • kd1s, on 07/26/2008, -1/+3Interesting. The last apartment I had was owned by an elderly couple who sold out to a medium sized corporate entity.

      One day my doorbell rings and it's a guy from the Providence Water Supply Board. They're about to cut the water to the building off due to non-payment. I told the guy I didn't own it but got on the horn to the management company post haste.

      They had to shell out $5,425 dollars to keep the water on. Good, it serves them right. They never did their due diligence when they bought the building.
  • akpwnz, on 07/24/2008, -2/+453 months without water is brutal.
    • Gregd, on 07/25/2008, -2/+10What I don't understand is why the city or county won't let them pay the frickin water bill? Is this government red tape at it's finest?
      • EtherGnat, on 07/26/2008, -0/+4I'm sure the city would be happy to take money from anybody. They might have to pay ALL money owed by the landlord to get the water turned back on, though, which could include multiple properties. My sister had that problem with the gas company when her roommate owed several hundred dollars from a previous location.

        Alternatively they may not be able to afford or refuse to pay the gas bill the landlord is supposed to pay. If they're stuck in this slumlord's building I suspect they're not well off.
      • crapmatic, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Sounds like this family may need to complain to the city manager's office, and maybe their council people.
    • Slagar, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Try moving up here to Alaska, a pretty good sized portion of this town's (Fairbanks) population live in cabins with no running water. I was in one for a couple years, you get used to the lack of shower a lot quicker then the runs to the outhouse at 40 below.
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1or I can just move back to Anchorage where they have all the basic needs of a modern society. :P

        BTW I live in oklahoma city now lol.
  • louiebaur, on 07/24/2008, -3/+24Wow that sucks!
  • MommaLu, on 07/24/2008, -4/+29Now thats a slum lord for ya.
  • jcorn1, on 07/24/2008, -8/+18Amy - So glad you highlighted the importance of what is going on in the housing market today. This is one example. Truly glad to have seen it!
  • sogeshirts, on 07/24/2008, -5/+13That's messed up.
  • granolajoe, on 07/24/2008, -3/+19Wow...i never imagined that renters would be getting it so hard. I can't imagine not having water for that long
    • EtherGnat, on 07/26/2008, -0/+4Actually I think renters are making out pretty well. There are a ton of new rental properties out there, and rental rates are down. Obviously this situation is rough, but I think your generalization and the submitter's claim that renters are the "latest victim in the foreclosure crisis" are unfounded.
    • Bamont, on 07/26/2008, -1/+3Give me a break. I hate to point this out every time one of these ridiculous stories get Dugg up - but situations like this have happened since the dawn of renting from d-bag landlords.

      The housing market isn't too blame - the idiot who took out mortgages on homes, rented them out to try and soften the blow of not being able to afford what he borrowed - and then left the tenants to suffer - HE is to blame. Not the housing market (though, no worries, this ***** will be saved by the upcoming mortgage bail out).

      This guy is an *****, but I can't feel sorry for a family who first didn't research who they were renting from, didn't bother looking into the property before renting it, and managed to live in a place without running water for three months before contacting anyone about it.

      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2They probably did contact someone the moment the water went out. They probably did their research. You can't sit here and blame the victims now.
  • smitas, on 07/24/2008, -3/+12How did they survive without a vital requirement?
    • AmyVernon, on 07/24/2008, -1/+8they went to a relative's to get water and to use the bathroom...
    • hwy9nightkid, on 07/25/2008, -1/+8sink showers at work..DUH
    • motivatedmama, on 07/25/2008, -0/+14Milk jugs, sponge baths, pickle bucket for holding enough borrowed water to flush with, friends, relatives, severe, smart rationing. I lived without electricity for awhile while having well water, which means no water.
      It does teach you some valuable lessons in survival and what is truly necessary or not in this life.
      Not pleasant but livable. Never wanna go there again.
    • jbcsee, on 07/25/2008, -0/+5I lived through my teenage years without running water at home, central heating or electricity in Alaska. It's easier then it sounds. You just keep a few 5 gallon jugs of drinking water around. Dig a hole in your backyard and setup a out-house for a toilet. For showers visit a gym, friends house or many laundry-mats sell showers.

      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1I lived in anchorage where this wasn't a problem, but I remember when I was a teen living in kansas. Where we had to do this to save up on money so we could eat. It's easy when you have relatives in the area that will let you use their showers, and get water jugs. etc etc.
  • m4532v, on 07/24/2008, -6/+28Remember. It's just a "mental recession"! Sarcasm courtesy of John McCain and his adviser adviser Phil Gramm.
    • XombieRobot, on 07/25/2008, -3/+2psychology
    • Dibou, on 07/25/2008, -4/+5Yeah, because people have never lived without water in their houses before now!
      • bjornski, on 07/26/2008, -0/+3This isn't the wild-west days.

        Nobody should have to go without water.
    • computerwhizia, on 07/25/2008, -3/+4They are just whining....who needs water.... ~ From Your Friendly GOP Presidential Candidate
  • lesleye, on 07/24/2008, -4/+10This is frightening.
    • Bamont, on 07/26/2008, -1/+1You don't get out much, do you? I've been to places in Dallas and Chicago that didn't have running water or electricity. This was close to 10 years ago. Believe me, people have lived without running water.

      This submitter and some of the comments here on Digg are filled with sensationalism. My real question is - do some of you say things just to get Dugg up, or do you actually believe some of that outlandish *****?
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1hey Bamont I know exactly what you are talking about (Oak Cliffes anyone?). Most Americans who are middle class can't believe it because they never had to deal with it.
  • mikesbaker, on 07/24/2008, -19/+133 months without water is stupid. move idiots. but I am pretty sure these people are enjoying living rent free for three months and that is the only reason they are still there. no sympathy from me - cheap bastards enjoy living in 3rd world conditions
    • spaceddaisy, on 07/25/2008, -2/+16Move where? It's very hard finding places to rent in a lot of areas because of foreclosures and people looking for cheaper rent. A friend of mine lived in his car for three months after his landlord got foreclosed until he finally found a new place. Unfortunately he relocated for his job and had no one to crash at while all this happened.

      • mikesbaker, on 07/25/2008, -8/+5how about any of these places that took me about 5 seconds to find
        http://www.move.com/apartments_new-york/haverstraw ...
        they didn't move because they had a great free place to live. also the fact that the water was shut off from the landlord not paying means that they were in an all bills paid place. since they weren't paying rent they could have easily contacted the city and had the water turned on in their own name. but they didn't so no sympathy from me.
      • spaceddaisy, on 07/25/2008, -2/+10@mikesbaker

        You'd first have to apply for one of those places and hope you get it. Half of the time the places on sites as those are already taken or they have costly application processes.

        I do agree they could have turned the water on, and that they were probably living there rent free. Probably means they are in a bad place in their lives right now and that does get sympathy for me. Who knows I might lose my job, live on my savings for a while and when that runs dry be in the same sort of situation.
      • motivatedmama, on 07/25/2008, -2/+12@mikesbaker

        You're a heartless dick.
  • Ninh, on 07/25/2008, -2/+21At least they have nobody to pay rent to, that's the upside.
    • Bamont, on 07/26/2008, -0/+3Nobody to pay rent to but still couldn't get running water or afford to move anywhere else?

      The real question is - where WAS the money going.
  • krazykrazz, on 07/25/2008, -3/+11Just when you thought the housing situation couldn't get any worse....
  • relic180, on 07/25/2008, -0/+41That's almost funny.

    I'm living in a house right now that's been in foreclosure for almost a month, and I've actually driven down to the city and paid the water bill myself twice. They'll take money for it, because they know ***** like this guy (and my own x-landlord who I haven't heard from for almost 3 months) are doing things like this. The lady at the city even said she'd put my name in the computer to receive a copy of the bill so I'd know when to pay it, even though she wasn't suppose to without permission from the landlord, who is M.I.A.
    • bitterscream, on 07/25/2008, -1/+5If you are renting the whole property, not just a portion, then this makes sense. Are they still paying the electricity bills??
      • AmyVernon, on 07/25/2008, -1/+2they only had one apartment in the house...
      • AmyVernon, on 07/25/2008, -1/+3no, they only had part of the house. it was split into two or three apts...
    • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -6/+11You know, in my mind (which is a scary place), it would seem fair if you were given the title to the house in these sort of cases. If the landlord goes MIA and isn't paying the bills and you're living there...
      • SocialPoison, on 07/25/2008, -0/+6Your mind has vastly oversimplified the situation. Would he also be responsible for paying the debt? It's not that no one owns the house... foreclosure means the bank's taking it back.
      • Stochio, on 07/25/2008, -1/+6What is frightening is that your whim got 3 diggs. How the hell does giving the house to the renter make *any* sense? Seriously, does anyone give rationale anymore? Ever hear of a bank? Ever hear of collateral?
      • gurudrew, on 07/25/2008, -2/+3The house is the collateral and as long as the payments are made, who cares who is making them. I agree, give the house over to the tenants and let them start making the mortgage payments.
      • Stochio, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2Guru, no. That decision is up to the bank. But suppose that you get your law passed that in the event of a foreclosure, the house will be handed over to the current tenant in the event that that person is not the owner and that the loan will be assumed by the renter, at the option of the renter. This will represent a risk to the creditor, and the creditor will require to be compensated for this risk. The cost will be shifted to the buyer of the house who will then pass on this cost to the renter. Rents will go up as a result. So in the end, renters will not gain this put option for free. They will pay for it. There is no free lunch.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1You know what's funny? You people freaking out over a passing thought.
      • Stochio, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Don't throw around words like "fair" and expect no response.
      • gurudrew, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1@Stochio
        I'm not asking for a law, just some common sense from the bank. What is better, evicting the current tenants and waiting to find another buyer or let the current resident take over making payments so the money keeps coming in? And of course the bank will want some compensation for their "kind deed". Just tack it onto the total.
    • acroyear2, on 07/25/2008, -0/+5Similar situation where I am. As far as many of us are aware, we don't even have a landlord right now. I've called a number of our supposed "new" landlord and only once has someone else picked up the phone and none of my messages have ever been replied to.
    • wakkow, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1So ... do you get to live there free? If the landlord is MIA, then there's no one to pay your rent to.
      • relic180, on 07/28/2008, -0/+1Yes. Rent free. BUT, any day now the bank is going to show up at my front door and kick me out. So, that's not going to be fun.
  • bmph8ter, on 07/25/2008, -1/+24If I was renting with no water, I would have at least quite paying rent.
    • PabloMac, on 07/25/2008, -0/+16I would quit quite quietly.
    • greevar, on 07/25/2008, -0/+5The proper procedure is to send a notice to the landlord to restore the utility in a reasonable time frame through certified mail. If they don't fix it, file for rent escrow so the court can hold the rent money and order the landlord to fix the problem.
  • kloop10, on 07/25/2008, -1/+9No water for 3 months :(
  • Pusod, on 07/25/2008, -7/+7No water? No problem! The renters should dig a well on the property and get water that way. Let the land owner explain why there's a huge hole in the ground to the bank that gave him the loan.
    • blackinthmiddle, on 07/25/2008, -1/+8Uh, do you really think it's that easy to "digg" a well? It costs 1000s of dollars and there's no guarantee of hitting water. When the hole is dugg (with a huge drill), a minimum volume flow rate must be met. Then a pump has to be installed and wired to the house. If the minimum volume flow rate is not met, another hole must be dugg (costing more money, of course).

      If these renters were in position to lay out the $5k plus that this would cost (and were even zoned for wells), they'd be smarter to just move.
      • gurudrew, on 07/26/2008, -3/+3She has three kids. Buy a shovel, a bucket and a rope.
    • crapmatic, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1"digg a well"? I like that.
  • 3tcp, on 07/25/2008, -1/+21If no one can find the owner how do they pay their rent?
  • richmomz, on 07/25/2008, -2/+13Why are they still paying rent if they have no water and the owner can't be found?
  • hokie47, on 07/25/2008, -4/+13Housing prices are still going to drop another 10% or more in some places. They need to go back to 02 or 03 prices. The big crash is still to come, I feel the panic growing everyday and it is about to hit critical.
    • Tenlow, on 07/25/2008, -0/+8I'm on the other side of the fence. I'm waiting for it to hit that point so I can buy like crazy.

      Yeah it's unethical but I gotta eat too you know.
      • whorunbartertwn, on 07/26/2008, -1/+0misfire
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1it is great to not be in debt. Because I think I will be able to afford a new home when the crash happens. After I graduate from University, but that won't be for yrs because I plan on living in Singapore for a little bit which involves avoiding the BS that is t come in America.
    • whorunbartertwn, on 07/26/2008, -1/+1Although I agree with you that some markets will continue down as much as 10% I don't believe anything like a crash will come. A crash is like with NASDAQ in 2001... the housing market is correcting but it's doing it on a steady downward pace.
      • hokie47, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Yeah big crash might of been too strong of words.
  • pdizz, on 07/25/2008, -2/+14This happened to me in a place I was renting. There were 4 units in a house and for the last 6 months only the one I lived in was rented out. The landlord stopped paying the heating bill (in Michigan, in February) I had to turn the oven on to heat the place. I ended up not paying the last 3 months rent but was out my deposit. Still no clue where landlord is and the building is abandoned.

    There needs to some reform in laws in cases like this. For instance I was told by the energy company that I could not pay the bill for heat on my own (which I planned to deduct from rent) because, quote: "he (landlord) may not want the heat turned back on in the unit and only the person on the account could make that decision." The only way I could turn it back on is to put it in my name which entailed a $500 deposit.

    These cases will continue to increase and something needs to be done to protect the renters. The only thing I could do was not pay rent for the last couple of months which resulted in losing my deposit. Not counting the inconvenience I came out about even.

  • diggduggDOOM, on 07/25/2008, -1/+13Stop paying rent. You'll find that landlord real fast. Rather, the landlord is likely to find you.
    • t0x2c, on 07/25/2008, -1/+3I doubt she pays rent. There article says the mom of that household could not be contacted, so no one said that she was paying rent.
  • theutopian, on 07/25/2008, -1/+8As a renter, this makes me slightly nervous. I love my nice rented house.
  • mnemy, on 07/25/2008, -2/+4Umm... so why haven't they moved out? Deposit? If the owner has been MIA, you shouldnt have been paying rent. I'm sure that would have covered the Deposit.
    • blackinthmiddle, on 07/25/2008, -0/+4FYI, with the housing market what it is, there is a TON of comp for apartments. Landlords are now taking people with the absolute best credit, etc. Finding a decent apartment can often take months.
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1It only took me a week, but then again I'm a college student who pays his credit cards off ASAP.
  • zbeast, on 07/25/2008, -3/+5No water, ***** that.. buy a lock cutter and a valve tool from your local home depo.
    A friend of mine got kicked out of the house they were renting when the landlord
    got foreclosed on. This guy has like 6 homes he just stopped paying on.


    • sporg, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1You cant get bolt cutters down inside that water box very easily. Might I suggest a dremel with a cut off wheel?
      Most water meters are inside a box in the ground but in some areas I guess they are on the side of the building. When they figure out that you turned it back on they will be pissed and probably call the cops. You better play dumb real well.
    • crapmatic, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1I guess if you want to get creative you could put a fake water box in with fake meter (add a lock if you like) and cover the other one up. Not that the family has time for that, of course.
  • Dan11023, on 07/25/2008, -11/+3SWEET! more houses to buy fix N flip at cheap low prices!!!!!

    MUAHAHAHHAHAH
  • XombieRobot, on 07/25/2008, -2/+13This is what happens when people get greedy and buy up several homes to rent out, while not being able to cover their own mortgages because they re-financed the hell out of their own property.

    GREED is the main culprit of the foreclosure crisis. Both from the people and greedy lenders. When foreclosures happen its always a lose-lose situation.
    • Stochio, on 07/25/2008, -3/+1What do you suggest? Tell me, how do we rid the world of greed? Are you not greedy? It's always the *other* guy that's greedy.
    • Midtowner, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Greed is what makes our economy work.

      -- or do you think people innovate and bring new products/services to market because helping people makes them happy?
      • kuzotz, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1WEll most people who innovate hope to make money yes, but that isn't greed. Greed is when you are rich as hell and you want more more and more, and so you do things like allow a shipment of bad tires to go out into the market which incidentally kills people, but it doesn't matter because you are protected and the gov't won't enforce this as u won't be prosecuted for their deaths as a wealthy business owner. This happens all the time and that is what greed is. You do whatever it takes no matter who takes up the expense of such folly.
  • aolshove, on 07/25/2008, -6/+17No water and inability to get a hold of the landlord = FREE RENT. This is not a sob story, this is a squatters tale. Boo-friggen-hoo. Move if you want to pay rent or stay w/out utilities if you don't.
    • BILLCOLLECTORC, on 07/26/2008, -0/+3this is the smartest comment i have read so far
  • trollick, on 07/25/2008, -6/+6Ok... Foreclosed house has no water and some people are stupid enough to live there... Why is this a story?
    • Gregd, on 07/25/2008, -4/+9It's a story because some people can't afford first/last/deposit to find another place. You think they're going to get their security deposit back?

      This probably isn't a matter of people being "stupid enough to live there", but rather a case of people being too broke to move anywhere else right now.
      • s0nicfreak, on 07/26/2008, -2/+3And why should we feel sorry for them because of that? There are plenty of homeless shelters that have water you can stay in until you save up the money to move.
      • aladrin, on 07/26/2008, -0/+3If they can't contact the landlord, what have they done with the last 3 months rent? I can't believe that isn't enough for first, last and deposit somewhere else.
      • Midtowner, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2Get a job.
  • BotchaMcCoola, on 07/25/2008, -3/+7As long as this doesn't happen in Baghdad.
  • magneteye, on 07/25/2008, -1/+8This is happening all over the country. Some families renting homes that go into foreclosure have little or no time to make new arrangements. Here in Oregon you get a 7 day notice to move out. It's ***** *****. Families are being tossed out on their asses.
    • Stochio, on 07/25/2008, -3/+1And because there is that insecurity, renters push prices down. You make it seem like this insecurity can't be priced? What do you suggest?
    • Midtowner, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1There's risk in any business relationship. Why should renting be any different?

      The *only* reform I imagine would be a good idea would be for the state to start requiring some sort of escrow service for security deposits. Other than that?
  • tacom8, on 07/25/2008, -4/+4If you can manage it, it seems like a prime time to pick up a house. That's all anyone has been talking about lately up here in Canada is buying up houses/condos in the states for rental or vacationing. It still boggles my mind what you can buy around major centers in the states.
  • 0gre, on 07/25/2008, -4/+12Helloo, you are in a rental home and noone can find the landlord, how is this a problem? I had a friend who lived in a place for 2 years without paying rent, they took good care of the place and even tried to track the guy down but in the end just stayed there.

    That's what this woman is doing. She is staying in a place without water because it's free.

    "The mother was not available yesterday, and it could not be determined if she was still paying rent to the landlord."

    "Hekl said the tenant -a woman with her three children, ages 20, 14 and 9 -has not been very cooperative with housing inspectors."

    She hasn't been cooperative because she knows if they track down the landlord she's getting the boot. The tenants aren't victims, they are taking advantage of the rent vacation.
  • dupswapdrop, on 07/25/2008, -3/+4If you rent you have no control over anything. Rental unit foreclosures are hard because most of the owners are corporations so they just dissolve the company and move on. The people behind the company are not affected, that is how business is done today.
    • stealthc, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2The corporate veil is a fabrication made by the government, but you're right.

      Although at this point, I'm glad to be a renter because I would otherwise have entered the home ownership market right before it fell off a cliff.
  • betacmag4u, on 07/25/2008, -4/+3BUCKET FLUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • bjornski, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Good choice for a broken toilet.

      Bad choice when there is no water.
  • lonelily, on 07/25/2008, -1/+12My boyfriend and I were renting a condo from a guy outside of D.C back in late 2006. Six months later we get a letter from a lawyer telling us the place was being foreclosed on. We paid this guy $1500 every month and suddenly we had didn't have a place to go. It sucked. We had to threaten legal action because he didn't even want to give us our deposit back. It's a bad situation to be in, especially when you've paid everything you were supposed to. It's hard to just pick up and leave when the landlord screws you.
  • dolemite5005, on 07/25/2008, -2/+4If the place I was renting had no water I'd probably... oh I dunno... move.
  • MrZaiko, on 07/25/2008, -2/+4Maybe the Landlord got deported... or died somewhere
  • richw, on 07/25/2008, -3/+2and this person chooses to complain about it instead of moving out why?
    • secrity, on 07/26/2008, -0/+4They may have a lease and they may not know their options. Some people can't afford to move.
  • mrzack, on 07/25/2008, -5/+2how come in the movie Fight Club there was water in that abandoned home?
  • thegreatgazoo, on 07/25/2008, -4/+4A water bill is a lot cheaper than rent. How much is a water bill? $25? $35? If you can't find the landlord, you can't pay them no?

    But why leave the trash in the front yard? Do they have no pride? Can't they take a trash bag and spend an hour?
    • whorunbartertwn, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0I wonder about the trash thing too.

      Sometimes here in Phoenix we drive through the Indian reservation to get up North and a lot of the residents have ok homes but the front yard is covered in trash. I can tell people live there why don't they pick it up? Does being poor mean you no longer care that plastic wrappers are jammed up against your chain link fence and bottles, boxes, cans, etc. are in the yard?
  • Kenzan, on 07/26/2008, -2/+2The word is "squatters" not "renters"
    Say it with me:
    "Sqquaaatters".
  • jippers, on 07/26/2008, -2/+1Would the housing market in Vancouver, British Columbia PLEASE crash already?! Some people who actually can afford a home would like to buy one right about now!
    • 1hrSleep, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0Haha, my aunt has a tiny freakin' apartment (nice place though) in downtown Vancouver. She got it for $90k years (15+?) ago. It's worth half a million at this point. It's ridiculous.
  • crackberri, on 07/26/2008, -4/+2There will be a lot more of this is Hussein gets elected…
    • stealthc, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1There will be just as much if McCain gets elected. They are both equally illiterate on the economy.

      Our best hope at the moment is Barr.
  • BILLCOLLECTORC, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Wouldnt it be easier to turn the water on in your own name, clean up the trash, and withhold the rent while you look for a new place. She must know the landlords address if he is collecting rent; if not you are living for free while the bank forecloses(3-6 months)
  • bobarobes, on 07/26/2008, -0/+2This same sort of thing is happening to me right now.

    We were renting a place and the land owner soon moved out of state, he let the house go into foreclosure and never told us the tenants, he had known about it since April. We only found out this was happening because we had a yard sale and a person who had seen the property listed in the public auction asked if we were having a moving sale. The sale was last Friday with no one buying the properties so they defaulted back to the bank, on Monday we received notice that we have to vacate by August 5Th. The bank would rather sit on a piece of property in the hopes that it would sell rather than have steady income from the current tenants, how messed up is that. The two good things that happened though were after our yard sale we had enough money to put the deposit in on a new apartment, and I happen to work for the bank that all of the tenants deposit money is stored and I know that we are receiving it back.

    I agree there needs to be more laws protecting renters who do pay on time and just need a place to live.
  • mrjoebert, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1This happened to me about 4 years ago but I found out when there was a surprize eviction notice for my landlord on my front door. There's some shiesty people in Florida.
  • stealthc, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1This is why the feds should have let Fannie and Freddie fail. Yes housing prices would have collapsed and left a lot of people (who had made BAD DECISIONS) holding the bag, but the low prices would mean affordable housing for millions, and the market would begin to heal. Economic downturns like this are like getting a rotten tooth removed. Which do you prefer? A quick procedure or a slow one with poor anesthetic?
    • whorunbartertwn, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0What you're suggesting isn't variance on method of anesthesia, it's removing the lower jawbone to cure the sore tooth.
      • stealthc, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Wrong. This problem was caused by interventionism. More interventionism won't solve it.
        http://mises.org/story/3045

        What you're suggesting is pumping the whole head full of Novocaine in order to ignore the sore tooth.
      • Hangly, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1The infection has spread to the jawbone and may infect the skull.
  • thegrantman, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0After a week without water I'd be out of there.
  • Killroy1971, on 07/26/2008, -1/+2Before you comment, read the artiicle! This isn't a 'slum-lord' or 'poor-renters,' it's a case of squatters. Those of you with bleeding hearts (including the poster) have been duped!
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