My family might be evicted from our home... (this is not a joke, I'm serious)

[veemonjosh]

I...I don't know what to do now.

Our landlord just called, yelling that he's about to lose our house and we'll need to be evicted. This did NOT sound like a simple April Fools joke, he sounded upset and dead serious.

I don't want to move from here, I finally found a place where I felt like I could fit in. This has been my favorite home, and I just don't know if I can handle being forced away from this comfort zone...

Dammit, I know none of you will believe me because it's April Fools Day, but...

Just, dammit.

[Cartoonlover]

Oh, man. I believe you, and this is awful. I don't know what to say...

[Shawn Hopkins]

You really should have waited a day to post this. If it is true, though, my condolences. Hopefully you'll get enough notice time to find another place.

[moonmaster]

Man, that's horrible. The same thing happened with my grandparents a couple months ago.

[Ishtar]

In all seriousness, I am very sorry you have to deal with this, Josh. Hope things turn around.

[El Dahveed]

I feel your pain. This happened to my family around two years ago. Good luck in your future endeavors, and I hope that you can find a place in time.

[Light Lucario]

I believe you too Josh. It doesn't sound like a joke at all from your post and besides that, the topic would be too serious to be made into a joke in the first place.

I'm really sorry that this happened to you and your family. I wish that I could say something more than just that. I hope that everything will turn out better for all of you soon.

[Dr.Pepper]

I'm really sorry to hear that. :crying:

[Martianinvader]

That's one of my worst fears, and now it's about to actually happen to you....

More than condolences would probably help right now. Is there anything we can actually DO for you, like set up a PayPal fund or something?

Note: I have no experience with that sort of thing, so it'd have to be someone else...

[Mala Loba]

Oh my gosh.

I am so, so sorry. I went through the same thing last summer and we were lucky enough to find a place... I just can't think of anything to say. I know we were terrified too... :crying:

[BrendaBat]

The same thing happened to my family when I was a kid. And I worry about my parents' financial situation, too (I don't live with them right now, but my sisters still do). My heart goes out to you. This is a frightening thing to go through. :(


I wish I could give advice to help you through it. But I don't know your family's situation, so I don't know if anything I could say would apply to you. All I can confidently say is please don't let the fear and depression get to you. Things may seem hopeless now; but this situation is survivable!

[Desensitized]

Oh ****, I'm sorry to hear that Josh.

[Blackstar]

I am truly sorry to hear that this is happening to you and your family, Josh. I at least hope that your given enough time to find a new place before you have to vacate. The same thing happened to my family back in 2004; we were living in an apartment that went under new management twice since the time that we moved there. The most recent management wanted us out so that they could modernize our apartment. My father made arrangements for us to move into a new house, but the idiot who was going to give it to us gave it to someone else while were in the process of moving, so when crunch time eventually came, we had no new house to move to. We were forced to move in with my uncle and aunt at their house for 8 weeks until my dad found us a new place. It was pretty rough for a while there, but eventually things worked out for us, and I sincerely hope that they will for you and your family as well.

[Kevin]

Sorry to hear that, Josh. Hopefully everything will be sorted out for you soon.

[Jtaylor1]

I feel sorry that you lost your house and I don't want to see you and your family become homeless 'cause in the State of Georgia, homeless people now live in tents under a bridge and it's illegal. If you're unable to find another house, your local homeless shelter can take care of you until your family gets back on their feet.

[sun]

So many families are going through what you are experiencing. Good luck in getting by..One day at a Time..and do not give up hope.

[BartWinkle]

Heck, I still feel the pain of being evicted from our home in Pittsburgh almost 24 years to the day in April 1985. It was very tough on me.

[mkalv]

Aw, man. That reeks. Good luck to you.

[veemonjosh]

Actually, can a mod edit the topic title to say "MIGHT be evicted".

Just the suddenness of the message made me think it was really happening, but I honestly don't know now. :sweat:

[Lazerboy5000]

Sorry to hear that Josh. Hopfully things work out for the better. Best of luck to you.

[Daxdiv]

Josh, I am sorry to hear about your problem. I hope for the best in your problem and hope that since it is a might, that your family has a plan just in case.

[Mesousa]

What awful timing, too, and this just plain sucks.

It was just your birthday a week ago, too...

I hope this situation gets fixed sooner or later.

[Wind-Dive]

Josh, that's awful. Can't imagine what you're going through.

Hope your luck changes sooner or later.

[ABrown]

My parents are going through a rough time themselves. My dad is out of work so my parents are forced to pay the bills on just my mom's salary, which isn't near enough.

And then my uncle forwards me joke e-mails about how the rich have it so bad because of the economy being the way that it is.

[The Old Maid]

Forgive the necropost, especially since Josh mentioned upthread that things have gotten worked out. But this article came out on the AP Wire today (Friday, May 22) that might help anyone in a similar situation. The link isn't working for some reason; maybe someone with better link-fu can add it later.

¶ Buried in a housing law signed this week by President Barack Obama are protections that will help thousands of renters stay in their homes _ at least for awhile _ after their landlord has been foreclosed on.
¶ The law allows tenants to remain in their foreclosed rentals through the end of their lease and then 90 days after that before being forced to vacate by the lender. Renters without leases will have 90 days, a significant improvement over what most received before: almost no notice at all.
¶ "Until this law was enacted, there had been no national protections for any of these households," said Linda Couch, deputy director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "This gives renters time to adjust their lives."
¶ Now, renters like 49-year-old Rittie Brantley have more time in their apartments. Two days before Thanksgiving last year, a bank representative informed Brantley she had to move out of her rented three-bedroom apartment in New Haven, Conn., because the landlord was in foreclosure. Her lease, which expires in June, didn't matter, he told her.
¶ "I had a week to be out," said Brantley, who depends on government aid to help pay the rent. "I don't want to move to a bad neighborhood."
¶ Instead, Brantley took her case to the New Haven Legal Assistance Association.
¶ With the new law, "overnight, she received the right to live there through June and three months after that," said Amy Marx, the attorney who represents Brantley.
¶ The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates 40 percent of foreclosed properties in the country have renters and the new law could aid tens of thousands of renters.
¶ Before, many renters booted out of foreclosed homes would have to find emergency shelter with family or friends because they have little savings to cover moving costs, first month's rent and a security deposit at another apartment. In the worst cases, some families are forced into shelters for temporary housing.
¶ And they had little recourse. Foreclosures automatically terminate any lease. Only New Jersey and Washington, D.C., had laws honoring leases after foreclosure, according to NLIHC's Couch.
¶ Earlier this year, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stepped up their renter protections, but they only applied to loans the companies held or guaranteed.
¶ "The best we could do before is beg and plead with a bank to get extra time," Marx said.
¶ For their part, lenders applaud the new notice provision, but are unclear when the 90-day clock starts, said Francis Creighton, vice president of the Mortgage Bankers Association. The foreclosure process can last more than a year, and the law isn't specific on when notice to the tenant must be given.
¶ While Creighton said renters are "blameless" in these situations, honoring their leases could disrupt a foreclosure sale as new owners try to move in. Other times, lenders have no idea renters live in the properties, Creighton said, because the landlords claimed the property was their primary residence, not a rental, to qualify for a lower mortgage rate.
¶ Most banks, in addition, don't have property management departments, so collecting rent, keeping up with renter complaints and maintenance is outside their business.
¶ "If the boiler doesn't work, then they will have to take care of it. Lenders aren't set up to do this," Creighton said.
¶ But Marx hopes this law encourages lenders to keep renters in properties permanently. Banks also will benefit, she said, because they'll receive income, the house will be better maintained and won't be exposed to vandalism. This will help prop up its value too.
¶ Brantley, who has lived in her New Haven rental for almost four years, doesn't want to move even after her reprieve is up in September. She likes her neighbors and her grandchildren have room to play in the front yard. The house is close to the bus line that runs near her daughter's home.
¶ "We're still fearful," she said. "We might be able to stay for a while, but I would like to stay here for longer."