Another Would-Be Tenant Clipped By Rent-Skimming Property Owner; Kicks Herself For Not Checking Out Home's Foreclosure Status Before Signing Lease

In Augusta, Georgia, WRDW-TV Channel 12 reports:

• An Augusta woman thought she found her dream home only to be forced to move out weeks after signing the lease. April Williams fell in love with the two-bedroom, one-bath cottage on McDowell Street as soon as she stepped through the front door.



• "Once I seen it I said, 'This is the spot for me. This is where I want to be,'" she said. She signed a year lease after two long months of searching for the perfect, affordable home. "It was right at $1,300 because I had to pay the $650 deposit and the $650 to move in," she said.



• She moved into her new address Dec. 6. A month later, she found a letter posted on her front door. "It says, 'This property is now owned by Fannie May,'" she said.



• Williams says her landlord never told her the home was in foreclosure. "I'm tremendously angry and she is still trying to call and get money from me," she said. The government requires Fannie Mae to pay Williams to move out.



• Williams is kicking herself for not checking to see if the property was in foreclosure before she signed the lease. "It never crossed my mind -- never, never, never, because she never said anything. Nothing," she said.

Source: 12 On Your Side: Renter finds herself in foreclosure, forced to move (A woman is forced to move after finding out the home she just leased was foreclosed on).