I am having a problem with tenants being served eviction notices from banks who are foreclosing on a house the tenant is renting.  The tenants are current on their rent, don't know anything about the owner not paying their mortgage and then they get a brightly colored eviction notice taped to their front door!

Why are owners collecting rent and in some cases I know, actually taking the tenant to court for non-payment of rent, when they aren't even paying their mortgage.  What morals and ethics do these homeowners live by?  I think it is criminal to allow a family with children to move into your home, that you know you are not going to pay the mortgage and you are just looking to get back some money before you go belly up!

Should landlords be allowed to do this? I would not want to be the family that moves in and three months later find out they have 30 days to move and they most likely wont' get their security deposit back. The owner stops answering his phone and the tenant and his family is left hanging.

Owners, please if you are going to rent your house that is in foreclosure or it goes into foreclosure, please, please notify your tenants.  Allow them the opportunity to make the decision to stay there and pay you rent until they have to move out, or the option to either not rent it at all or to move out with their security deposit so they are not having to move their family in a rush.

Tenants, use your noodles, ask the questions, check with the county to see if they are in a foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, if the house is listed for sale, but they tell you, that your lease will be honered by the new owner, ask if it is a "short sale", that will tell you it is in foreclosure or will be soon.

I heard this week that the County has stopped issuing vouchers to Section 8 tenants for single family homes due to the rate of foreclosures, and if they are in a foreclosed property and get evicted, they are at risk of losing their voucher.

I understand everyone is in a financial crisis, but please, tenants are typically people who can't afford a house, work for minimum wage, two jobs and are barely making it, have a heart and be honest with them, or better still, don't take a rental listing if you know the house is going into foreclosure.

Owners... a vacant house sells faster than a home with tenants.  There are so many houses out there for sale/rent right now, your rented house is not going to sell as fast if the tenants don't allow people to see it or worse, make it look and smell awful when potential owners come through.  You the owner do not have the right once you sign a lease to compel them to show the house, unless you have a seperate rider they have agreed to before hand.  Tenants have the right to quiet enjoyment of their property while they are in a lease. So be aware that you are not going to sell your home and it might just end up in foreclosure before you get it sold and that foreclosure will be on your credit, not the tenants for 7 years!

I could go on about this subject as I feel very strongly about it, but in this time of financial stress, let's remember that we are all in this together and if we look out for each other and respect each other and use our morals and ethics we were all raised with, we will come through this and we will still be able tyo look each other and most importantly ourselves in the mirror each day!

Jane Buzzell