Welcome to United Way Monterey County

Hazel and Jack came to Legal Services for Seniors when they received a 30-day notice to vacate their home of 21 years. An elderly couple, they were distraught and could not afford to hire a lawyer.

They could not understand what had happened as they had been faithfully paying their mortgage, even when money was short, until a few months prior. Because of some high medical bills, they had recently fallen behind in their payments and had been offered help by a home loan specialist. Hazel and Jack had gratefully signed what they believed to be loan documents to refinance the $50,000 they owed on their initial mortgage. So the eviction notice came as a shock. When the attorney at Legal Services for Seniors reviewed the documents she found that the couple had been tricked into transferring title of their home to the so-called lender. The con man had also hidden a rental agreement in the transaction to trick the couple into believing they were repaying the new, refinanced mortgage.

When housing values sharply appreciated within the first year of the agreement, the bogus lender, who now owned the property, began eviction proceedings so that he could sell the property. He anticipated a price five times greater than the amount he had spent to “rescue” the couple from their original mortgage.

The Legal Services attorney immediately moved to prevent the sale of the couple’s home during the time needed to prosecute their claim to recover title. In a pre-trial settlement, Hazel and Jack recovered title to their home and were able to get a conventional loan from a bona fide lender. Legal Services also helped the couple avoid the ordinary consequence of a title transfer – a reassessment of the property and increased property taxes.

Today, Jack and Hazel continue to live in their long-time home, tending their vegetable garden and helping their neighbors. They are very grateful to Legal Services for Seniors.