Ex-owner serves eviction notice

Question: We rent a single-family home and recently found out that the landlord doesn’t own the house anymore -- the bank does. The bank knows we’re here and has no problem with that (we’re paying rent to them). Now we’ve received eviction papers from our former landlord. How do you suggest we deal with this?

Answer: Having a former owner try to evict you makes no sense. Eviction lawsuits are expensive and time consuming, so it’s hard to imagine why your former landlord would want to go down this road. Only an owner can evict a tenant, and that defense will stop an eviction lawsuit at the first opportunity. But knowing that you can defeat the case in court is slight comfort when doing so will cost you time and money. Get this stopped as soon as possible. If you’ve been served with court papers, you have to respond within a few days. First, get in touch with the bank and tell them what’s happening. Next, find a lawyer experienced in landlord-tenant law and hire that person to write the legal pleading that you’ll need to get this lawsuit tossed. With luck, you can get the judge to order the former landlord to pay your attorney fees and costs.

-- Janet Portman, Inman News

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E-mail Janet Portman at janet@inman.com.