ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A man moved out of his Orange County house and said he's trying to short-sell it. So he was surprised when he saw people had moved into his house and even more surprised to find out he can't kick them out.
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The homeowner told WFTV the people in the home don't plan to leave, especially after they just paid $1,200 for June's rent.
"I'm furious," homeowner Paul Buker said.
Buker was shocked to found out strangers live in the house he's selling.
"It's unbelievable what's happening here," he said.
Buker moved out months ago. Last week, he noticed the lights were on.
"I looked in the window and I saw furniture," he said.
Buker opened the window, took pictures and called deputies to get the men out of his place, but they wouldn't.
"They showed us a lease and it had my name on there, forged," Buker said.
His wife's name was on it, too, and both were misspelled.
Strange News Photos (LEFT) STRANGE PHOTOS View 99 PHOTOS of Strange News The tenants weren't home when WFTV tried to contact them, but according to police records they moved in at the beginning of May. They're paying $1,200 a month for the two-story 3,500 square-foot home in Hunters Creek. Realtors say it should be $2,500.
Not only that, Buker told WFTV they changed the locks on the front door, they've been keeping the lawn manicured and have even pressure washed the driveway.
"Legally, I'm afraid to go in there, break in and throw things out and takeover the house," he said.
WFTV checked with a real estate lawyer and, even though the lease is bogus, Buker would have to get an "Eject Order" to get them out. It costs about $300 to file and could take months to process.
"People's rights are being violated. You can't even get someone out of your home with a bogus lease. What's going on here?" Buker said.
According to a report, finding whoever listed the house for rent may be tough. The company, phone number, and realtor's name are fake. The rent is paid in cash to someone who shows up at the door, so there's no paper trail. Now, the tenants are holding up the sale of the house.
Orange County has more foreclosures than anywhere else in Central Florida. The latest numbers from Realty-Trac show there are nearly 17,000 homes in foreclosure currently in Orange County.
Brevard and Volusia counties have about 8,000. Osceola has nearly 6,800 and Seminole County has about 6,000.
WFTV
