Question
House my daughter is moving into has note on door saying it has been winterized and do not turn on utilities?
With the economy the way it is my daughter's family is going through a bunch of problems since they don't own their home. In June (although they paid perfectly), the house they were living in was sold in a short sale so they had to move quickly. Then it's happening again. SO they found another house to rent, in the same neighborhood and were set to move in this week-end. They have painted (with permission) all the walls and have moved a lot of their items to the new house. My daughter just went over there to finish painting and there was a not on the door stating the house has been winterized and not to turn on the utilities. She's almost certain this means it has gone into foreclosure (THIRD HOUSE SINCE JUNE) so now, it's Wednesday night and they have to be out of the house they are in by Sunday and probably have no place to go. Do they have any legal recourse? I know the say renters have very little rights but this is getting ridiculous. If THIS doesn't convince them that they need to get themselves in a position to purchase a house in the future... I don't know what will.
1 month ago - 5 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
Is your daughter trying to sign contracts at these places? In the spring, a federal law was signed to protect renters during foreclosures. If there is a lease, the new "owner" (bank or whoever) is required to abide by the length of the lease. If there is a month-to-month contract, the tenant has 90 days to move.
by sbinlb
1 month ago
Asker's Rating: 
Other Answers
Of course the property is in foreclosure. Did your daughter perform due diligence to insure that her new 'landlord' was not a scammer looking for money ? Yes, that is one of the latest scams. Thieves looking for easy cash claim to have houses for rent. The houses are in foreclosure, and these guys have NEVER owned the properties. They just act like landlords, take the deposit and first month's rent, and then disappear. Tell your daughter to contact her new 'landlord' to see what the situation is. My guess is that he's GONE.
by acermill- 1 month ago
Unfortunately, your daughter doesn't have any recourse in this situation. The owner of that property apparently is behind in their payments and the lender has sent someone to the property to determine if the property was occupied. They found the property vacant so to protect the property from damages and vandals, the locks were changed and the property winterized. My suggestion is that your daughter verify that the owner is not in default - there are websites that can be checked to determine this (www.realtytrac.com). If your daughter is already in place at a property that goes into foreclosure, President Obama has enacted laws to protect tenants who are living at the property as long as they have a valid lease. Yes - your daughter's family should purchase a home - it's a great time to buy and this will ensure they won't lose their home because of someone else's actions. They should contact a mortgage lender and see if they can qualify - with as little as 3.5% down (FHA financing) or no downpayment (VA financing), they can be in their own home. Good luck!
by Rita Gibbons- 1 month ago
Yes, I tend to think you are right about foreclosure. Unfortunately that is the way the market is right now. She needs to start looking in better neighborhoods where there isn't such a high rate of foreclosure. She can try to sue the landlord if she wants, but from the sound of it the landlord doesn't have any extra money to give her.
by gafpromise- 1 month ago
Unfortunately, the foreclosure notices are public information, and scammers obtain this information from these notices. They lure in unsuspecting "tenants" and take their money. Typically, these people have no financial interest in the property, just taking someone else's money with little or no recourse unless the police can track them down. It happens more often than we want to know. Of course this house is a foreclosure, and it will not be for rent.
by godged- 1 month ago