[No_Games]

I had someone come to my home and tell me my home was foreclosed and he will be signing papers to be the new owner next week he wanted to see what the house looked like inside if your buying a foreclosed home you don't see the inside until you have paper work and keys plus he tells me the previous owner lost all his properties and he was paying the back taxes on it so he will be the new landlord I haven't received anything in the mail about this foreclosure or back txes being owed I thiink I was scammed from the start 2 and half years ago its looking pretty fishy now. Is it legal to come to my home and want to see the inside if your buying it as a foreclosure or back taxes how do I find out if any of this is true ? I've already payed rent to my old landlord for this month and he said nothing about this a few days ago....

[EscAlaMike]

If you're just renting, what's the difference? Call your landlord and ask him about it.

[gymrat]

Your county tax office has records of all owners of property. Look it up. Before you rent and hand over one cent to a future landlord you can look up the property and see if the person saying they are the owner is actually the owner.

[bluebeard]

Why don't you call your current landlord? As a renter, you can't be expected to parse out these kinds of issues.

[harry chickpea]

Paying back taxes does not make him the "owner." Any mortgages and liens have to be settled first. IIRC, pecking order is first mortgage, second mortgage, then mechanics liens and other encumbrances. As was mentioned, you can find who holds the deed at the county courthouse, and usually online. It will also show properties in arrears tax-wise.

My initial thought:

I suspect that you are correct, that you are either being scammed or some clueless "investor" thinks that he has free and clear ownership by only paying back taxes. Write a certified letter to your current landlord, stating that if he does not respond you will be placing next month's rent into an escrow account until the situation is cleared up. From this point forward, keep dated copies of ALL checks and correspondence and write down the dates times and content of any telephone calls. If this gets messy, you MUST cover your *ss to not get burned.

Upon review:

Did you think you had purchased this property 2.5 years ago? Or did you think you were renting from the owner of the property? If you thought you had purchased it and didn't do a title search, you are a fool. If you thought the person renting it to you was questionable, why didn't you check that out immediately? Craigslist scams are well known, and they don't just happen on craigslist.

Now... if someone showed up here and told me he had paid back taxes and owned my place, my decision would only be which weapon to use to hold him until the sheriff arrived.

[No_Games]

No I didn't doubt he owed the house when I moved in it. Wasn't until this new person came here telling me this. Shocking infomation that I started to wonder what's going on . I have tried calling my landlord and I get voicemail I always pay on time so there was never a reason to suspect him of wrong doing . The past couple days nothing but. Voicemail.I did call around and the city probate office told what was going I found that their are taxes owed on the house and and the bank wasn't being paid its going up for auction in 2 months after calling some random REA I was told that I should speak with a lawyer as far my landlord collecting rent that. Wasn't owed to him and he could. And will be in trouble for still collecting on all his properties that he has lost . I think this new feels if he pays the back taxes he will be the owner but thanks for the info on first and second morg.

[harry chickpea]

Talk with an attorney. As landlord, the current owner still can collect rents whether or not he pays on the mortgage. What starts to get iffy is if he is still claiming homestead exemption on the home and underpaying taxes, and if the mortgage has a "no sublet" clause. Be prepared to have to move quickly. Oh yeah - don't put anything in writing or sign anything at this point. Let it go through an attorney or get his ok first.

[No_Games]

I'm sure I will have to move its going up for auction soon its my first rental it was affordable fresh out of school first real job it sucks because the bank should have sent out a letter something so that myself and others would know whats going on I had to call around and have probate office tell this house is really going up for auction even I asked if I paid the taxes owed she not because if I did it now it would be paying off his debt and I should wait if I want it and bid at the. Auction but I. Think I will just say lesson learned and move on I have couple of months to find something nice but I am speaking with an attoney because I feel used . I do know now make sure before I move into my next place .

[EscAlaMike]

It's really not your problem. Other than possibly having to move, you didn't lose out. You paid your rent to have a roof over your head. Whether or not the money was going to the wrong guy doesn't really matter. There's no way you could have known, and you would have paid the money to somebody anyway to have a place to live.

I don't think you really lost anything here, just the inconvenience of having to move. That can happen any time you are renting though, even if the owner situation is perfectly legitimate.