Foreclosure Fallout For Renters

An eviction notice is the last thing anyone wants to see on their front door.

But Ted Franks of Boynton Beach says that's exactly what he recently discovered despite , paying his rent on time, every time. Now he's out over four thousand dollars and he's rushing to find a new place.

The notice showed up on the door of the townhouse Franks shares with is roommate last Thursday. But at first Franks didn't even see it.

"We use our garage door, we walk in and out our garage all the time. I happened to go for a jog Friday afternoon, walked around  and came past my front door. I look over and I see this thing hanging here." said Franks.

 The notice gave them 24 hours to get out. A closer look shows the bank had foreclosed on the property. The foreclosure had been pending since after they moved in last January. But Franks insists this was the first he'd heard of it.

 "This looks like this is a situation going that no one ever told us about. We had no clue. Never notified by the landlord, never notified by the bank that took over the house."

 A legal expert tells CBS 12, unless it was specified in the lease , no one had to tell the roommates anything. According to county housing analysts, the foreclosure crisis is putting  hundreds even thousands of locals renters in this same situation. They say If you're looking to rent a home take a trip to the courthouse before putting down any cash.

 All you need is the address and the owners name to find out whether there's any pending litigation on the house.

 It's a lesson Franks is learning the hard way. The bank gave the roommates a few more days to leave, but they're still out their first and last month's rent, plus the security deposit.

 Franks say his former landlord isn't answering his calls.

"Basically if he would have given us just a little bit of notice ... On top of the money we're missing out right now ... So yeah it's quite a headache."

 Landlords typically check out potential tenants. Housing experts say in this day and age, that practice should run both ways. If something like this goes wrong you might be able to get your deposit back,  but you'll likely have to sue for it in small claims court.