I bought my house 10 years ago, and moved out of my house 4 years ago and kept it as a rental. One day 2 years ago, I received a notice that a homestead lien was placed on the house.
Apparently the city had decided that I had never lived in the house at all. They placed a lien, with no explanation, no warning, and no avenue for appeal or even discussion. The lien, with interest and penalties, was about $10,000.
The first thing I did was to contact an attorney. Of the 6 attorneys I found in the area who dealt with such matters, 4 of them agreed to speak to me but all 4 had represented the county in the past, and therefore could not represent me. The other two simply refused to make an appointment with me. Presumably they have bigger fish to fry and are not interested in my case.
The lien still sits on the house, accumulating interest daily. I'm just thankful that they have not foreclosed yet and that it's a rental and not my main house. It's an impossible situation even for people with reasonable means but the poor and elderly are completely at their mercy.
Apparently the city had decided that I had never lived in the house at all. They placed a lien, with no explanation, no warning, and no avenue for appeal or even discussion. The lien, with interest and penalties, was about $10,000.
The first thing I did was to contact an attorney. Of the 6 attorneys I found in the area who dealt with such matters, 4 of them agreed to speak to me but all 4 had represented the county in the past, and therefore could not represent me. The other two simply refused to make an appointment with me. Presumably they have bigger fish to fry and are not interested in my case.
The lien still sits on the house, accumulating interest daily. I'm just thankful that they have not foreclosed yet and that it's a rental and not my main house. It's an impossible situation even for people with reasonable means but the poor and elderly are completely at their mercy.