Sample LTR To Judge Final
Sample LTR To Judge Final
Sample LTR To Judge Final
Housing Authorities or other housing advocates ATTENTION TENANTS LIVING IN UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN FORECLOSED UPON 90-DAYS TERMINATION (EVICTION) NOTICE REQUIREMENT AND RIGHT TO CONTINUED OCCPANCY UNTIL THE END OF THE LEASE TERM If you rent your home or apartment and your landlord loses the property through a foreclosure, a law, called the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA), may protect you.1 Under this law, the new owner becomes your landlord. All bona fide leases or tenancies entered into before the date on which complete title is transferred to the new owner must be honored. If a new owner who takes over your unit wants to evict you, he or she must give you at least 90-days notice to vacate. If your lease has more than 90 days left in the term, then you can stay until the end of your lease and until you receive a notice at least 90 days which can be before the end of your lease. The only exception to this rule is that a new owner who wants to live in your unit as his or her primary residence doesnt have to wait for your lease to end and only has to give you a 90 day notice. If the new owner gives you a notice of less than 90 days or a notice that would terminate your lease before its end, you should Send the new owner a letter (a draft letter is attached), by certified mail, return receipt requested, at the address the new owner put on his/her notice to you, telling the new owner/landlord that s/he must give you at least a 90-days notice to vacate. This letter should be sent before the date you were told to vacate.2 Pay your rent. If you do not pay your rent, your landlord can ask the court to evict you for non-payment under state law. Make and retain a copy of your letter and the green return receipt for your records. If your landlord files an eviction complaint against you (some states call this an unlawful detainer action) and did not give the required 90-day notice, you should put in your answer, or tell the judge at court (if your state does not make you file an answer), that the notice is improper under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act. If you have to go to court in the eviction case, you should take with you copies of the letter you sent to your landlord, the original and copies of your proof of mailing and green return receipt from the post office, a copy of the PTFA that is attached to this notice and a copy of your written lease if you have a written lease. If you do not have a written lease, take rent receipts or utility bills or something else that proves that you live there. The judge may not know about the law, but if you tell the judge about the law it is his or her legal responsibility to enforce it and make sure that you are not forced to move with less than 90 days notice or before the end of your lease term. If you have a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher you have additional protections that you should learn about.
Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act, P.L. 111-22, 701-704 (2009), as clarified and amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, P.L. 111-203, 1484 (July 21, 2010).
If you have any questions, please contact the local Legal Services Office at _______________ ____________________ Attachments 1. Letter from non-Sec 8 tenants to new owner/landlord 2. The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA), P.L. 111-22, 701-704 (May 20, 2009) as amended and clarified by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, P.L. 111203, 1484, (July 21,2010).
______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ (Name and address of new owner) Dear _________________________ (new owner):
I am a tenant at __________________________________ (address, including apartment number if applicable). I am writing this letter in response to the notice of termination I received from you dated ___________________ (date of notice received). The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA), P.L. 111-22, 701-704 (May 20, 2009) as amended, applies to state eviction proceedings. 3 This law requires that a person or entity (including a bank) that becomes the new owner of a residential rental property as the result of a foreclosure honor existing leases with a fixed term until the end of the lease term. The law also mandates that, no matter what the lease term, the new owner must provide the tenant(s) in the property with at least 90 days notice before requiring the tenant(s) to vacate the property. There is an exception in the law for new owners who will live in the unit as their primary residence. Such owners are not required to honor the existing lease until the end of its term but still must still provide at least 90 days advance notice before requiring a tenant to leave. All bona fide leases entered into before the date on which complete title is transferred to the new owner are covered by the law. The 90 day period cannot start until the date on which complete title is transferred to the new owner and the new owner properly serves the tenant with a 90 day notice to vacate Since the notice sent on ________________ (date of notice received) does not comply with this law, I consider the notice to be void and ineffective. Sincerely,
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, P.L. 111-203 (July 21, 2010), in 1484, clarified and amended the PTFA.
Public Law 111-22, (May 20, 2009) TITLE VII--PROTECTING TENANTS AT FORECLOSURE ACT (PTFA)4 SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the `Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009'.
ThePTFAwasamendedinsection1484ofP.L.111203(July21,2010).