Saturday, July 24, 2010

Couple Blames Lender's Failure To Repair Leaky Roof In Adjacent Bank-Owned F'closure For Caving-In Ceilings, Black Mold Invasion; Fear Loss Of Home

In Cape Canaveral, Florida, WESH-TV Channel 2 reports:
  • The roof is caving in on a Central Florida couple. Roger and Sharon Harrell share a roof with the condo next door to them, which has been posted as unsafe by the city. The Cape Canaveral couple said there's a big problem: the condo next door is in foreclosure and owned by the bank. The Harrells said they fear they'll lose everything over the bank's inaction. "This could be catastrophic," Sharon Harrell said.

  • She said she and her husband have spent thousands fixing the leaks that originate on the other side of the wall, under the same roof. City inspectors took photos of the ceiling falling in, black mold on the walls and attic trusses covered in black. "We could lose everything," Sharon Harrell said.

  • Banking giant JP Morgan Chase bought the damaged condo last year for $100. The city is fining Chase $250 a day for failing to make repairs. Those fines now add up to $60,250, and Harrell said Chase is ignoring all her pleas. She said she has also filed a lawsuit. A Chase spokesperson did not answer WESH 2's repeated questions.

  • Chase received and returned $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money. The Harrells said they thinks the bank can afford to fix the roof on its condo. "How many other people are they doing this to?" Sharon Harrell said.

Source: Couple Cites Bank Inaction For Leaky Roof (Cape Canaveral Couple Files Lawsuit Against JP Morgan Chase).