How to Find Out if the House I'm Renting Will Be Foreclosed On

You can check government records for information on your rental home.
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Finding out that the house you are renting is being foreclosed on can be a harrowing experience. By law, the owner should share this information in enough time for you to make other arrangements -- but this isn’t always the case. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until you receive an eviction notice to learn the truth. The details of a foreclosure are publicly available, and you can use various resources for your research.

Step 1

Check the records at the county clerk’s office to see if the owner is a defendant in a foreclosure lawsuit. The office may provide access to this information online. If you don’t know the owner’s name, you could visit the county appraiser’s office to find out the name registered with the property.

Step 2

Check the Notice of Default list at the local county recorder’s office. This office keeps various documents, including property records. Lenders file a Notice of Default with the county recorder’s office when the owner of a property in the jurisdiction is behind in making mortgage payments. It states the lender's plans to foreclose on the property if the owner does not make the past due payments.

Step 3

Check local newspapers for legal notices. Again, you should know the name of the owner to recognize the notice for the rental property.

Step 4

Open all mail addressed to “Tenant,” “Occupant” or “Current Resident.” By law, you should receive notifications when the mortgage company files a foreclosure action in court, when a foreclosure sale is scheduled, when the property is sold and when the new owner asks the court to evict the tenants.

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