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.
Sunday, January 08, 2017
Another Group Of Poor Tenants Face Mass Eviction Over Landlord's Failure To Pay $50K+ In Overdue Water & Sewer Bills; City To Hold Off On Utilities Shutoff While Local Non-Profits Step In To Assist In Relocating Residents
In Flint, Michigan, WNEM-TV Channel 8 reports:
While the temperatures outside might be a bit on the warm side, some Mid-Michigan residents feel like they have been left out in the cold.
Several families at Lakeside Apartments in Flint were given eviction notices last week, but said their rent is paid up. The apartment complex owes the city of Flint thousands of dollars in outstanding water bills.
The residents there are being told they have two weeks to get out.
"He's taking our money and he's not paying the bills. We were told utilities were included with rent. Well, what are you going with the rent," said Linda Mills, tenant.
Mike Kelvin's name is listed as the owner on eviction notices that went out at the complex. Residents said they have not seen his face and he will not return their phone calls.
"I've been paying my rent on time like it's supposed to been paid, but now that everything has been going down like it has left and right, I stopped my rent in September. It's just pitiful," said Brittany King, tenant.
Mills and King are two of several tenants left at the complex after their landlord racked up more than $50,000 worth of past due water and sewer bills. The city said it will cut off water services at the complex after all of the tenants have been relocated.
Community organizations like the United Way and the Red Cross have worked to relocate many of the residents already.
Mills and King plan to ride it out until the last day, which was supposed to be this week. However, it has been pushed back to Jan. 8.
"I'm still not sure where I'm going to go, where I have to go because I do have two children and I have to make sure they have a roof over their head," King said.
Lisia Williams is a community advocate who has been working to place tenants in temporary housing.
"He really took advantage of the situation and to falsely put out this eviction notice on these tenants to put more fear and threaten them when they're barely surviving as it is. And he hasn't even stepped forth to come out here," Williams said.
Residents said the situation prevented them from celebrating Christmas this year and they just want their landlord to be held accountable for what they are going through.
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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