On Jun 2009, I moved into a nice, cozy condo in a gated community in Bluffton where I thought I’d actually be forquite a long time. Then fast forward more than a year later—and boy, was I wrong.
In mid-July of this year, after an hour long bike ride in the neighborhood, I returned to find a big, fat note taped to my door. As I approached my condo, my heart beat pretty fast. “This couldn’t possibly be an eviction notice,” I thought. “I’ve always paid my rent!”
Well, it wasn’t an eviction notice; however, it was something pretty close. It was a notice from the bank, Fannie Mae. Apparently, my landlord had not been paying the bank on the condo I was renting from him. As a result, I was surprisingly asked to move from the condo because my landlord no longer had possession of the unit. The bank foreclosed on it, and it was now in their hands.
I remember calling the number on that big, fat note immediately—and the first thing that came out my mouth was “Is this a joke?” Unfortunately, it wasn’t. A real estate agency was planning to put thecondo on the market and wanted me out ASAP!
Needless to say, I was placed in a bind that I didn’t foresee myself in—and it caused some much unwanted stress.
After telling the boss man (a.k.a—Michael Sullivan) at work the situation, he advised me that tenants have rights and NOT to let the bank or real estate agency intimidate me whatsoever. He even suggested that I let them know that I work for a news station. He was right.
The next day I contacted the real estate agency…and told them that if they wanted me out of that condo and the key to my place, they will have to PAY ME. Along with the payment for compensation, I specified an exact amount for the hassle, etc of it all. They said they would get back to me—and while at first I didn’t think they would agree to my stipulations, two days later they did!
Luckily, I found another unit within my complex, so I didn’t have to move far. However, the hassle of moving is nothing I look forward to anytime soon. I signed apretty long lease here (it’s for over a year) and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I won’t have to move anytime soon.
At the same time, I’m sure I’m not the only tenant who’s been in the same situation. In fact, the real estate agency I dealt withduring the whole ordeal said so. They said due to the continued bad economy, a lot of condos were being foreclosed on still.
If you should also find yourself in a similar situation as mine, I suggest visiting this website that discusses tenant rights:
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/renters-rights/
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON’T LET THE BANK OR REAL ESTATE AGENCY INTIMIDATE YOU!!!
