Imagine you and your children being kicked to the curb with all your belongings left in the front yard in an undignified, but very legal way.
That's the situation facing this tenant who decided to rent a property in foreclosure.
Now Tara Proctor who's 8 months pregnant is trying to find a place to live.
Tara says, "It was horrible. My kids... they just... they threw everything in bags, they wouldn't even let me pack. It was just... It's horrible, it's embarrassing."
Tara moved into this northeast Colorado Springs neighborhood in March after signing a lease with this man known as Chevy or Dwayne Zehnder. She says she knew the home was in foreclosure, but never understood her rights.
She found out the hard way that Zehnder whose arrest record shows he was accused of forgery and filing false documents... was the ultimate winner... collecting rent from her for months even though his only tie to the home was a document called a Quit Claim Deed.
Cynthia Glen owned the home. She says Zehnder told her he would sell the house. Instead... she says he put out a "for rent" sign and started collecting rent from Tara.
Cynthia says, "I didn't realize i ws signing over the property to him at all. It makes me sick to my stomach to find out that you know... he's getting all of this money off of this property when it should be going to the mortgage lender."
Now the house is owned by U.S. Bank which will try to sell it.
If you're looking to rent a home remember, these are very volatile times. Don't be afraid to check out the landlord just as he investigates your background.
Before you sign a lease go to the county assessor's office and see who legally owns it. Also make a call to the public trustee's office. Homes in foreclosure will have a papertrail to follow.
Don't be afraid to ask the landlord for references... others who have leased from him.
And never pay several months rent in advance that could be a warning sign.
The El Paso County District Attorney's office as well as the Colorado Attorney General's office is currently investigating Zehnder for equity skimming.
That's a practice where an investor fraudulently takes a property from an uninformed homeowner and collects rent from him or someone else.