Family can't move into house they bought

[tyecopeland]

Story involves covid eviction issue and California law so might end up in dc.

https://www.foxla.com/news/couple-bu...orium-loophole

Added article in spoiler for those who don't like clicking links.

Spoiler!

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - When Tracie and Myles Albert purchased a beautiful four bedroom house in Riverside, California they never realized that at the end of escrow the seller would suddenly refuse to give up the keys and leave.

"It’s just draining, emotionally and financially," says Tracie. On January 31, 2020, the couple purchased the home. More than a year later, they still haven’t been able get inside their property. Chris Taylor is the Real Estate Agent who sold the house to the Alberts from a man who wanted to sell immediately.

"He needed $560,000 from the sale of his house in two weeks and he called me on a Sunday, so in traditional real estate there's no way of doing that unless the buyer’s a cash buyer," says Taylor.

Since the house was free and clear and worth more than $560,000 the Alberts felt it was a great deal.


"It took us scrambling to get everything we had, our life savings put together and a hard money loan on top of it to make that happen," Myles stated.



During escrow they discovered there was a $30,000 tax lien on the house which slowed things down, but in the end, all parties signed on the dotted line and the sale was completed.

"We own the house, outright. That's our house and it's all in a contract, written, legal, done. He's been paid the money in his account. How could we have no rights to go into our home," asked Myles.

FOX 11 News tried to speak with the seller but when reporter Gina Silva knocked and announced herself, no one came to the door.

Taylor says, "It’s genuinely unfathomable to me that we live in a state where something like this is even possible. They closed escrow on this home January 31, 2020." The Alberts and Taylor have contacted authorities and tried to get the seller evicted but because of the pandemic, they’ve gotten nowhere.

"They have this case under a COVID tenant situation, of no evictions when it doesn't fall under that at all. This transaction went through in January 2020 before any of that, it isn't a renter who was getting thrown out. It's the guy who collected all of this money," stated Myles.


Eviction Attorney Dennis Block says, "This year alone, we’ve handled at least 7 maybe 8 cases of this exact type of situation."

He says people purchasing homes need to be extremely cautious, especially if they notice any red flags during the process. Block says what’s happening to the Alberts could happen to anyone.

"This person is not a tenant, it’s a previous owner who is enjoying the benefits of the money that was transferred to his account but of course doesn’t want to move out of the premises that he no longer owns," Block stated.

The Alberts filed an unlawful detainer but because of the California eviction moratorium, the case has been stalled. Time is simply passing by and the immaculate house they fell in love with is now becoming an eyesore.

Tracie says, "I tried watering the lawn one time and he came out and ripped my sprinkler lines, ripped all the wires. The Palm trees are dying, everything was beautiful and everything is dying."

Her frustrated husband says when he contacted law enforcement, they told him, "If you were in Arizona, if you were in Nevada, this wouldn't be a problem, you would just go take your house back. But in California, like our hands are tied, even though we're on your side, there's nothing we can do."

[Halfcan]

Fraud- plain and simple.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by tyecopeland

Worst part of it is isnt the landscaping. It is the fact that he is likely to be tearing up the inside of the house too. Or at least letting it go to complete shit. Probably going to a huge fixer upper whenever it does get settled.

That was my first thought as well. Any POS that would pull what the seller is doing, isn't going to give a damn about keeping up the house. The seller needs his ass kicked. I have mellowed out a little bit, but with that said, I would seriously go over and drag the deadbeat out of the house, if I were in this situation.

[LoneWolf]

I get that they can’t force him to move out, but why can’t they move in? Just show up with moving trucks and have a moving company remove his shit and move their shit in. Make his life miserable.

[Chief Pote]

Never pay cash. Lots of alarms should have been going off on this one.

[SupDock]

Can't they just break into their own house and start occupying it?

let the police know in advance what you are doing, and just start legally occupying your own house.

You would think the state would step in

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

I get that they can’t force him to move out, but why can’t they move in? Just show up with moving trucks and have a moving company remove his shit and move their shit in. Make his life miserable.

Beat me to it

[dmahurin]

Man, I close on my first house in the middle of April, this is a nightmare situation.

[vonBobo]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

i would say shut off utilities but that would not end well either
put a tent over that house and have it fumigated

time to start blaring the loud music

I do not understand how he has any legal right to be there even under covid rules. He is not a legal resident, he SOLD the house. But it is Kalifonia.

Correct! We have zero housing law problems here in Missouri!

[vonBobo]

Originally Posted by SupDock

Can't they just break into their own house and start occupying it?

let the police know in advance what you are doing, and just start legally occupying your own house.

You would think the state would step in

I would hate moving into that situation, and I especially wouldn't do it with my family.

How about they move in their own tennant "enforcer" on a day by day rental agreement? Can't be too hard to find an unemployed dock worker to make squatter's day and night hell.

[vonBobo]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

Man, I close on my first house in the middle of April, this is a nightmare situation.

Congrats!

[Bill Brasky]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Fraud- plain and simple.

Agreed. Taking the money and not transferring product means he stole 560k. Perhaps try to get a federal agency involved...

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by wazu

I'm guessing he has utilities in his name and is paying them. That's why he destroyed the sprinkler system.

They should be able to have him arrested for criminal destruction of property.

[Otter]

That couple is behaving way more civilized than I would be in the same situation.

[Couch-Potato]

I live here in CA and this is exactly the kind of bureaucratic bullshit that gives us a bad name. Far too many examples of legal nonsense replacing commonsense.

[vonBobo]

Originally Posted by Couch-Potato

I live here in CA and this is exactly the kind of bureaucratic bullshit that gives us a bad name. Far too many examples of legal nonsense replacing commonsense.

This person isn't covered under the covid eviction laws, he was never a tennant.

The squatter is exploiting loop holes and only delaying the inevitable, this happens in various ways all across the country and has nothing unique to do with CA other than people are obsessed with California.