Huffington Magazine Issue 67 | Page 63

COURTESY OF LEGAL AID FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES COLLATERAL DAMAGE The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 safeguards the right of renters to complete the term of their lease in situations in which the new buyer does not intend to occupy the residence, assuming they have not violated the lease terms. Mogelberg and Genel signed a lease on a three-bedroom condo in April 2012. Finances had been tight for a while, with both of them out of work at one time or another. But this was a steal: just $850 a month, in a market where rent for an apartment this size could be more twice that. Seven months later, in November, they received a notice that Bank of America had purchased the home out of foreclosure. “You should talk to a lawyer NOW to see what your rights are,” the notice stated. The family approached a local legal nonprofit, but were turned away. The demand for services was just too high, they were told. Fernando Gaytan, a senior attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, tells HuffPost that there are not enough housing lawyers to meet the demand in his region. Renters are in an especially tough spot, he said, because HUFFINGTON 09.22.13 they typically don’t have much time to present a case. Unlike homeowners, for whom eviction is typically a drawn-out process that can last for years, renters are normally allotted 90 days or less to prove they have a right to occupy a residence. The first eviction date, Jan. 1, came and went. Mogelberg and the bank continued to spar over whether the family had the right to remain in the condominium. At one point, he said, he was told )