A California couple claims they were evicted from the home they’ve been living in and making payments on over the last two decades as their son transferred ownership to someone else behind their backs.
Ismael and Angelita Ramirez have been living in the same Fresno house for 20 years, making payments and raising their family and were shocked, when in April they received an eviction notice.
“Every month we were paying $700 a month,” Ismael Ramirez told Fox 26. “We thought, why did our boy do that to us if he knew the house was ours?”
The house, however, wasn’t officially the Ramirezs as their name was never put on the house.
In 2003, the Ramirezs were looking for a home with the help of their son as they didn’t speak English.
When they found a home they liked, their son signed the title as the sole owner, to his parents’ objection as they also wanted their names to be on the contract, but both the son and the seller convinced them it wasn’t necessary.
“He told us, they told him, it wasn’t necessary. And well, since we don’t know English, that’s where they lied to us,” Ismael Ramirez told the outlet.
They did not know their son could upend their lives, up till earlier this year when he transferred ownership of the home to a woman without telling his parents — the same woman who handed them the eviction notice that was kicking them out of the house as she was selling the property.
The couple has failed to get legal help because they claim each lawyer declines to take the case once they’re told the property’s ownership was under the son’s name, according to the outlet.
“They left us with nothing.” Ismael Ramirez said. “At the moment, we felt the world was collapsing on top of us, especially since I can’t really walk and my wife gets depressed and suffers from high blood pressure over the whole situation.”
The son who transferred ownership has not been heard from in over five months, Fox 26 reported, with the other son, Ismael Jr., being told he was feeling sick but being taken care of, as he was fine and healthy before he let gave ownership of his parent’s home up.
The family has requested for police to conduct wellness checks on the man but they have also not found anything.
While they process the fact they are homeless because of their son, the couple is staying with their daughter and a GoFundMe was set up by their other children in an attempt to help them get back on their feet.
“My Parents Don’t Deserve This Pain That Has Been Inflicted On Them And It Hurts Us As A Family, Fabian Ramirez said on the crowdfunding page.
The page has raised nearly $24,000 of the $45,000 goal as of Wednesday morning.
