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Fair Housing

Why giant investment company rentals are being blamed for affordable housing issues in Jacksonville

‘Flipping humans quickly’: I-TEAM investigates trend COJ report says is causing higher rent, fewer homes to buy JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A News4JAX I-TEAM analysis of Jacksonville property records found more than 9,600 homes across Duval County are owned by large, institutional investors, which are companies that have more than 1,000 homes nationwide in their portfolio. Single-family homes are being bought up by giant investment companies as rental properties. The trend is being blamed for contributing to rent hikes, leaving first-time home buyers with fewer options, and worsening Jacksonville’s affordable housing issues. A Jacksonville City Council committee pointed to this trend as one of the reasons for the city’s affordable housing issues. House prices and rents in Jacksonville have gone up nearly 50% since 2018, driven by people moving to Florida, a period of low interest rates and institutional investors. City Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman described the problem as “huge.”

2024-01-04T11:32:56-05:00May 19th, 2023|Fair Housing, News|

JALA helps low-income senior obtain a full homestead exemption

“Irene,” 80, had decades ago purchased a home for her mother and herself, but when her mother died in 1996, she lost half of the homestead exemption. She missed out on 25 years of the full property tax exemption, because only half of the property was in her name. JALA filed a probate action to transfer her late mother’s 50% interest in the home to Irene so she could claim the full exemption and better protect her modest 150% federal poverty level income.

2024-01-04T11:40:13-05:00March 1st, 2023|Client Stories, Fair Housing|

After JALA clears up title, woman obtains homestead exemption

“Victoria,” 63, had inherited one-sixth of her late mother's homestead property, and most of her five siblings had given their one-sixth share to her. One brother, who had moved to the Philippines years ago, died without a will in 2011 as a citizen of the Philippines.  He did not have a spouse or children. His only asset was his one-sixth share of the house in Jacksonville (worth about $11,000), so no probate action was filed in the Philippines.

2023-03-03T09:57:40-05:00March 1st, 2023|Client Stories, Fair Housing|

JALA helps woman get disaster relief to restore her home after hurricane

After Hurricane Irma damaged her Hastings home, “Anita,” 60, who has disabilities, sought help from Restore St. Johns, the county’s hurricane housing recovery program. While Restore St. Johns was willing to repair or rebuild her home, the property had never been probated out of her late mother’s name. JALA, with the help of a pro bono title expert, sorted out the potential heirs and was able to get consent from Anita’s siblings to have the title transferred from their mother’s estate.

2024-01-04T11:42:27-05:00March 1st, 2023|Client Stories, Fair Housing, Pro Bono|

Veteran’s home saved from foreclosure through probate

“Charles,” a 64-year-old veteran, came to JALA after losing a foreclosure case concerning his late mother’s home, where he had been residing since 2012. He had been making the payments after his mother’s death, but fell behind due to life-threatening health issues. He then fought on his own for seven years to save the home.  By the time he came to JALA, a final judgment had already been entered and a sale date scheduled.

2024-01-04T11:41:46-05:00March 1st, 2023|Client Stories, Fair Housing, Veterans Services|

JALA helps clients save their family homes through probate, mortgage modification

Having clear title to one’s home is often crucial to saving it, whether the threat is from potential foreclosure or a natural disaster. That’s because without clear title, the homeowner cannot negotiate with lenders or access federal aid, including disaster relief from FEMA or housing assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Jacksonville Area Legal Aid helps families avoid a potential foreclosure and access federal aid after a loved one passes away by helping them clear title through probate. "Probate is a complex and confusing process for many families," JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said. "But it is a crucial step in ensuring that a deceased person's property is properly transferred to their heirs. When families don't understand the importance of probate, they can put themselves at risk of losing their homes."

2024-01-04T11:43:59-05:00February 13th, 2023|Client Stories, Fair Housing, News, Tangled Title|

Renters’ Rights: What to do if you have mold where you live

Trysta Wallace said the mold and plumbing problems in the bathroom of the apartment she rented on the Southside became so disgusting she couldn’t use the toilet or take a shower. “I use the port-a-potty up the street. I pee in a cup and I take a bird bath in the kitchen,” she explained. “It’s in the middle of the night, where can I go? I can’t make it up the street, I would pee myself.” She said she stopped going into the bathroom entirely when the mold started getting really bad. When she reported the problems to the property manager, Wallace said, “They just looked at me and said, ‘I’m sorry.’”

2024-01-04T11:45:27-05:00February 9th, 2023|Fair Housing, News|

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