LELAND, NC (WECT) - A Leland man said he's going to have to pay again for rent he's already paid to his landlord. Timothy Redmond said he found out in January that his landlord had not paid the mortgage on the mobile home for three months.
"With the economy, everybody's strapped. You pay your rent thinking that's out of the way and you have to worry about the other bills and now I have to pay it again," he said.
He said he called the state Attorney General's office when he found out about the problem. He said they told him he was fine and would have a certain amount of time to move out if the property went into foreclosure.
He then called North Carolina Legal Aid and they told him since the land and the home were owned by two different people, the bank wouldn't have to go through the foreclosure process and could make him leave right away.
"How can I not be covered somewhere? Whether it's a mobile home or a house boat, it should not be the renter's problem," he said. "You pay your rent and you're thinking you're covered and you're not."
He said when he called the Attorney General's office back, they said they were wrong the first time and agreed with legal aid.
Redmond said he called the lending company to try to get everything figured out so he and his mother and sisters can stay there while they look for another home. A few days later, he started getting phone calls from the company telling him he needed to pay, even though his name is not on the bill.
He and his family having been living in the house without a lease for a little more than a year. He said now he wants others to know what they're getting into when they lease a mobile home.
"Make sure you know what your rights are because if you're renting just the mobile home and you're aware that the land is a separate loan, know it could happen to you because we're proof of it," Redmond said.
WECT.com contacted the landlord. She said she is not going to pay for the mobile home anymore. She denied our request for an on camera interview and did not want to comment further over the phone.
Redmond said he plans to pay the more than $450 in back mortgage payments, even though after he does that, the landlord could tell them to leave.
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In order to continue to stay in his home, Timothy Redmond will have to pay the bank even though he already paid his landlord.
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