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.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Elderly Homeowner Left Having To Pay Twice For Same Roof After Now-Defunct Contractor Stiffs Materials Supplier
In Kensington Park, Florida, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports:
Beverly Boganrief is hopping mad. A retired Kensington Park resident living on social security, Boganrief said she could not believe it when a Tampa company that sells roofing supplies slapped a mechanics lien on her house demanding payment of $3,000 by Aug. 31.
Boganrief said she paid $6,000 for a new roof in March and it is not her fault if the now defunct Harbour Roofing did not pay its bill Gulfeagle Supply.
But sprawled across the top of the letter she received from Gulfeagle’s attorney on Aug. 10 are the words:
WARNING! FLORIDA’S CONSTRUCTION LIEN LAW ALLOWS SOME UNPAID CONTRACTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS AND MATERIAL SUPPLIERS TO FILE LIENS AGAINST YOUR PROPERTY EVEN IF YOU HAVE MADE PAYMENT IN FULL.
Calls to to Gulfeagle’s Tampa headquarters and to its St. Petersburg attorney Robert E. Burguieres were not returned.
As far as Boganrief is concerned, Florida Eagle and Burguieres are simply harassing seniors in the hope they can be bullied into paying for something twice.
“I’m really upset,” Boganrief said. “This is not my debt. I already paid $6,000 for a brand new roof and I can’t help it if the man who was supposed to pay his bill did not pay it.” “I wonder how many more people are being harassed by this company,” she asked.
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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