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 Hazel and Jack
came to Legal Services for Seniors when they received a
30-day notice to vacate their home of 21 years. An
elderly couple, they were distraught and could not
afford to hire a lawyer.
They could not understand what had happened as they had
been faithfully paying their mortgage, even when money
was short, until a few months prior. Because of some
high medical bills, they had recently fallen behind in
their payments and had been offered help by a home loan
specialist. Hazel and Jack had gratefully signed what
they believed to be loan documents to refinance the
$50,000 they owed on their initial mortgage. So the
eviction notice came as a shock. When the attorney at
Legal Services for Seniors reviewed the documents she
found that the couple had been tricked into transferring
title of their home to the so-called lender. The con man
had also hidden a rental agreement in the transaction to
trick the couple into believing they were repaying the
new, refinanced mortgage.
When housing values sharply appreciated within the first
year of the agreement, the bogus lender, who now owned
the property, began eviction proceedings so that he
could sell the property. He anticipated a price five
times greater than the amount he had spent to “rescue”
the couple from their original mortgage.
The Legal Services attorney immediately moved to prevent
the sale of the couple’s home during the time needed to
prosecute their claim to recover title. In a pre-trial
settlement, Hazel and Jack recovered title to their home
and were able to get a conventional loan from a bona
fide lender. Legal Services also helped the couple avoid
the ordinary consequence of a title transfer – a
reassessment of the property and increased property
taxes.
Today, Jack and Hazel continue to live in their
long-time home, tending their vegetable garden and
helping their neighbors. They are very grateful to Legal
Services for Seniors.
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