Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Central Florida HOA Uses Court Process To Hijack Another Homeowner's Unit, Evicts Existing Tenant, Finds New Renter
In Wesley Chapel, Florida, The Tampa Tribune reports:
The Bridgewater homeowner's association doesn't own the house Connie Hicks rented. But that didn't stop the association from evicting Hicks, giving her 24 hours to pack up and leave. Now, a new family lives there and they're paying $250 more a month more in rent. What's more, the money is going to help pay off a lien the association filed against the homeowner.
"It created a big mess for me," said Hicks, who lived there for seven months. "I wouldn't want any other renter to go through this." Hicks was shocked because she thought she did everything she was asked to by the association and by the courts.
Still, she was booted from the house as part of Bridgewater's controversial legal strategy, first reported by The Tampa Tribune earlier this month and now the subject of news coverage nationwide.
The association's aggressive interpretation of Florida law has legal experts debating how much power a homeowner's association has. [...] Court records show that so far this year, the association tried to evict tenants in six houses. The association is using a Florida law that says an association can evict a tenant if the homeowner fails to pay association fees.
Bridgewater goes through the legal process of evicting, but what happens next has some real estate attorneys and homeowners crying foul.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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