State: Renters, too, face mortgage fallout
To a family from the concrete canyons of the Bronx, it seemed ideal: a spacious Tampa home with a big back yard for the kids. And it was available for rent with immediate occupancy.
Two months ago, Nikki DuFore and her husband paid the owner $3,000 and settled into the house with their three boys. But their stay may be short-lived. On May 19, they were served with notice that the bank seeks to foreclose because the owner is months behind in his mortgage payments.
“It was a shock,” DuFore said. “We had just moved in, and now we’re already having to look for another place. It’s a big expense right now.”
It used to be that tenants got all the scrutiny, with landlords demanding references, proof of employment and other assurances the rent would be paid.