Consumer Law

For renters facing eviction due to landlord's foreclosure

By Kia Franklin

Here's something that hasn't been pointed out very often in the midst of all the foreclosure crisis finger pointing: what's going to happen to all the renters who, paying faithfully each month, may nevertheless find themselves displaced from their rental homes because their landlords go into foreclosure?

From the LA Times:

You're paying your bills, but your landlord isn't. And you're the one holding the eviction notice.

This is becoming an all too familiar scenario for thousands of renters nationwide who have become the unintended victims of foreclosures. Banks are booting good tenants onto the streets with little to no notice after seizing a property from a delinquent owner, ignoring tenant leases.

We already know Legal Aid Services and pro bono are not able to help meet the concerns of renters facing loss of shelter. From the article:

Tenant rights lawyers are few and far between and can be expensive, Baker says. And unfortunately, legal aid offices around the country are facing severe budget cuts, says Amy Marx, an attorney at New Haven Legal Assistance Association Inc. in Connecticut.

Civil Gideon anyone?

Full post as published by TortDeform.com on December 26, 2008 (boomark / email).