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.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Tampa Family Gets Fleeced For $7,000 After Paying For House Rental For Home In Foreclosure, Then Not Allowed By Lawyer/Owner To Move In
In Tampa, Florida, WFTS-TV Channel 29 reports:
A Tampa family paid thousands of dollars to lease a house, but they said the owner refused to leave or even give them their money back.
And they later learned that house was in foreclosure. Now the homeowner is suing the family saying they backed out of the agreement.
“We were going to move in here with three children,” said Joezette Hite, who saw a rental listing for a South Tampa Home on Zillow in June. She says she called for an immediate showing, then quickly signed a year-long lease.
“We needed to move in by the 29th at the latest, because were closing on our house on the 30th. And I asked him could we move a few days prior and he said absolutely,” Hite said.
The house is owned by Tampa attorney James Lee Clark and was marketed by Florida Recovery Property Solutions, Llc.
The Hites paid a total of $7,000 for a deposit and first and last months' rent.
But when they tried to move in, she says Clark was still there. [...] She had to rent three storage units to store her own belongings, then stay in a hotel until she could find another place to rent.
But she says Clark refused to return her money.
“They have sent their certified letters as undeliverable back. I have showed up at James Lee Clark’s office because he's an attorney here in Tampa, but the people there say he hasn't been there in weeks,” she said.
Hite later learned Clark's house received a final foreclosure judgment two days after she signed a year-long lease, something she says Clark and Florida Recovery Solutions never disclosed.
“They received a letter from the court that it's going to be auctioned off in a couple of months,” she said. The current auction is scheduled for October 19.
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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