How to Find Out if the House You're Renting is in Foreclosure

As a tenant it can be frightening to learn that the house you are renting is in foreclosure. Unfortunately, the tenants are usually the last to find out and are left with little time to make new living arrangements. If you suspect your landlord is having financial difficulties it is best to try and find out the status of the property as soon as possible. Here is how to find out if the house you're renting is in foreclosure.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Ask your landlord. If confronted with the question your landlord may confess that the house you are renting is in foreclosure. Although this is the easiest way to find out, you may not get an honest answer. If the property owner denies that the home is in foreclosure but you still suspect otherwise, keep researching. Many times the home owner will not tell the tenants the true status of the property in fear that they will stop paying rent.

2. Read the public notices section in local newspapers. This is often where foreclosure notices are published. These are sometimes listed as "notice of trustee sale" or "sheriff's sale". You can also look to see if these notices have been published online by using a search engine and type in the terms "notice of trustee sale", "sheriff's sale" or "default notice" along with the address of the property. Not all notices can be found online and in locations with a high number of foreclosures, reading through the notices can be a daunting task. However, this can be a good starting point to find out if the house you're renting is in foreclosure.

3. Check with your County Recorders Office. This can often be done online. The Recorders Office has records of legal documents filed for properties within that county. This would include the notice of trustee sale, notice of foreclosure, default notices, liens etc. filed against the property.
   
   You may be able to do a search with the County Recorders Office using the home owner's name. If that doesn't work you may be able to search by the property' s parcel number. You can obtain the parcel number by contacting the County Assessor, or searching on the County Assessor's Office website if available. The County Assessor should be able to locate the parcel number from the property address.
   
   By using the information found in these types of public records you can often piece together enough information to establish if the home you're renting is in foreclosure or may be facing foreclosure.

4. Watch for signs. If you are getting mail, receiving phone calls or solicitations that hint of a pending foreclosure it may be wise to investigate further.
   
   A sure way to know if the house you're renting is in foreclosure is if you are served with official papers stating so and a notice is posted on the outside of the home. This is often near the end of the foreclosure process and your time in the house may be limited.

Tips & Warnings

• Be suspicious of web sites and services that charge fees for finding out foreclosure information. Most of this information can be viewed for free in the form of public records.

Resources

• Book: Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies

[veryirie]

on 6/20/2009 This is something really important for renters to know; good tips!

[chenderson00]

on 6/16/2009 This is so important now days. Even renters can't afford to keep up with properties. 5*s