RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A Riverview family was kicked out of their rental dwelling after it was offered, and the new owner refused to honor the lease.
The Robinson family thought they had been protected by the year-long lease after their Riverview rental was offered to a new owner late final 12 months. They realized the laborious method {that a} lease doesn’t all the time defend tenants when rental property modifications palms.
Documents from the prior owner present Oswald Robinson’s hire was present and paid by February 2022.
On February 6, Oswald informed ABC Action News the new owner confirmed up at his dwelling and wished him and his son out regardless of the lease that was good by June.
Then in March, Oswald got here dwelling from work and located an eviction discover taped to the storage door. Days later, he known as 911 after he got here dwelling and located the new owner and a piece crew inside the home.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff responded, and ABC Action News obtained the physique cam video and report. Deputies discovered no courtroom order of eviction, which means the new owner had no authorized proper to enter Robinson’s dwelling.
One of the 2 deputies who dealt with the decision suggested the new owner to go away the property and acquire a courtroom order if he wished to evict Oswald and his grownup son.
In late March, the new owner filed an “unlawful detainer” case towards the Robinsons. It accused the family of residing within the dwelling illegally and primarily claimed they had been “squatters.”
“I am very angry about this,” Oswald informed ABC Action News. “This is what you would call life-changing.”
Tom Difiore with Bay Area Legal companies stated an current lease will not all the time defend tenants in these instances.
“The new owner is attempting to circumvent the lease and basically saying I am the new owner you need to leave,” he stated.
DiFiore defined that tenants cannot afford to disregard any summons as soon as the courtroom will get concerned. No response routinely leads to a default order for the plaintiff.
“You cannot assume the landlord’s case is so ridiculous the judge is going to throw it out,” DiFiore stated.
ABC Action News pulled the courtroom paperwork, which confirmed that the decide granted possession of the property to the new owner after the Robinsons did not file any response to the allegations that they had been residing within the property illegally and never paying any hire.
Oswald stated he and his son left earlier than deputies arrived to take away them from the home, making a scenario he known as “very stressful especially living in this climate right now with the housing crisis.”
For now, the family is staying in an Airbnb and does not know the place they may reside subsequent.
We reached out to the new owner by telephone and textual content. He refused to touch upon the case.