The Vasquez family of Harlingen said they’ll be left without a roof over their head and the landlord is to blame.
To make things worse, they said, the landlord is one of their own family members.
Gilbert and Melissa Vasquez told Action 4 News their biggest concern is how they're going to put a roof over their 10-year-old daughter's head after they leave the home.
Gilbert Vasquez said he’s been in agony since he got the news Monday.
The family has had little or no sleep since they’ve been packing their belongings non-stop.
The landlord, Gilbert Vasquez’s brother-in-law, told him the family had to leave the house the family has been living in since September because it's been foreclosed.
News that came as a complete shock, Vasquez said.
"I gave him all the money and we found out later that they never paid the money to the mortgage company but they kept it," Vasquez said.
Vasquez said he first found out about the possibility of the home being foreclosed from someone who came knocking at his door asking for information to buying the home.
Vasquez then went online and discovered the house was listed as foreclosed since August 16 - nearly half a month prior to when the landlord and Vasquez signed the agreement for rent.
"It hurts me because of my little girl,” Gilbert said. “She's only 10 and I don't know what to do because I see her eyes when I’m tearing down her room, bringing all the furniture down here, and she just looks at me and wants to know what we're going to do and I told her ‘I don’t know.’"
Real estate attorney and Mayor of Harlingen Chris Boswell said the Vasquez situation is unfortunate but it serves as a reminder that people need to do research before making a deal on homes.
"It's always best to know who you are dealing with whether it’s a landlord or anyone,” Boswell said, “you want to know they've got a good reputation for dealing with property."
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