Man says he did no wrong by renting out others' homes (Land O' Lakes: real estate, foreclosure)

[bentlebee]

LAND O' LAKES - Stephen Thomas Bybel had a business idea that would make him a landlord and line his pockets while sprucing up neighborhoods where homes in foreclosure were left to deteriorate and become targets of vandals.

Pasco County sheriff's officials see it another way: He broke into vacant homes, changed the locks and rented out other people's houses. Bybel was arrested at his house Wednesday and was charged with one count of scheming to defraud.

Reached by telephone after his release from jail, the 48-year-old Bybel maintained he didn't defraud anyone.
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He advertised on Craigslist, didn't collect deposits and didn't charge outrageous monthly rents, Bybel said. All the while, he was making sure the homes were maintained and even did some repairs inside like patching walls, steam cleaning carpets and painting to make the homes nice for his renters – and the neighborhood.

Now those renters he says he helped – such as Londo -- have to find new homes.

"They need to find a place to live and like they say, quick like a bunny," White said.

click on the link to read the full story

Man says he did no wrong by renting out others' homes


That explains all the advertisements on Graigslist about renting with no sec. deposit....if it sounds too good to be true it usually is....

[lavender]

ha ha - you have to admire his community spirit and enterprise!

[bentlebee]

He was on channel 8 this morning and clearly isn't hiding and still claiming what he did was the best for the neighborhood....

[algia]

Im with him, I wish he did the same for two of the homes next door to us which have beyond green pools and spiders the size of Florida walking all over them....so gross....and this is for the last 2 years?!

[housingcrashsurvivor]

The Deterioration of America's Property Rights:

First eminent domain by the government is expanded & sanctified by the Supreme Court, next the public finds justification to walk away from their mortgage obligations, then squatting by both indigents & those with the ability to pay but who'd rather use their rent money elsewhere, and now citizens co-opting property for profit not theirs. So much for the American way. What is left to protect private property rights? Guns?

Ownership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Ownership is the key building block in the development of the capitalist socio-economic system."

[BucFan]

Real estate agents: what the heck is a renter supposed to do when renting a house? Is there a background check on the home that they can run before renting to protect themselves?

[housingcrashsurvivor]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Real estate agents: what the heck is a renter supposed to do when renting a house? Is there a background check on the home that they can run before renting to protect themselves?

Not an agent, just a housingcrashsurvivor here. It is easy to check ownership on property especially in Florida. Just look up the address on the property appraiser's website or call them. It is also just as easy, usually through clerk of court records, to see the financing on the property and whether it is lis pendens (a preforeclosure).

[bentlebee]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Real estate agents: what the heck is a renter supposed to do when renting a house? Is there a background check on the home that they can run before renting to protect themselves?

Either rent from the owner or use a licensed agent. In both cases you need to check the public records and property appraisers website which over here are public records and online for free.

If you have checked both and no foreclosure is listed or any liens and personally I also would check about their history....if a person had more liens in the past you know they have a habit of not being the best payers, and you might be better of looking at another rental. Right now there are still places to find that you can rent, although the best areas go very fast.

If it sounds too good, it usually is!

No sec. deposit is to me a red flag as you could find out in the article....nobody who owns a nice place will let a stranger rent it without getting any security....!JMO!

[bentlebee]

Fraud case forces renter to relocate weeks after moving in


Another article about how this man thinks he is the good samaritan.....but read what his ex wife is stating about how is paying for child support....it seems that all criminals think they are doing the right thing with other peoples money....


"I'm trying to help here," he said. "Nobody else has got a good idea. I had an idea, maybe this isn't the greatest idea but it's an idea."

Another idea he has is that the sheriff's office or county collect the rent instead of him and put the fund in an escrow account for future neighborhood improvements.

"I just hope people will see I am trying to help the situation. This is not about me," he said. "..I don't want to be painted as the boogie man who's trying to rob people."

Bybel's ex-wife, Jodi, said today that he owes thousands in child support and refuses to pay. She estimated he owed about $224,000 in child support for his two daughters.

"If he's so concerned in helping people down there, why doesn't he help his own family that he abandoned,'' she said in an interview with News Channel 8.

Jodi Bybel said one of their daughters has a life-threatening illness and he isn't helping.

"His daughter was just in the hospital two weeks ago, we called him up in tears and told him we needed the money and he told me he's eating peanut butter sandwiches and he's living under a bridge,'' Jodi Bybel said.

Stephen Bybel said today he doesn't have the money to pay his back child support. He said he moved to Florida because he couldn't get a fair trial in New Jersey.

Bybel says he has been unemployed for a year and can't afford to pay his $3,000 a week in child support for daughters, ages 19 and 21.