My ex and I came to his house in 1984....and we rented for 5yrs...starting at $500mo, $525, $550, $575, $600.....then mel asked if we want to buy it at the 5yr mark....we said yes. We are family so he gave us a great deal...we gave him $5,000down.....$875mo, 10% interest. It remained that way until 1997....my husband and I divorced....so starting in June 1997 i started to rent at $750mo...in 2005 mel put the rent up to $800mo and there it remains to this day. We had a verbal agreement, rent would not go up and this would remain my home...period.....do verbal contracts mean nothing in Calif? yes, i am getting a great deal...we are family...that's why...I am not a stranger to mel...i knew him for 41yrs. I still dont see my May or June rent checks being cashed.....after 90 days do i put a stop payment on them? I dont understand why the brother has not opened probate? Mel had so much property, at the home a block away, he has 5 cars there, 4 in the backyard, that home was given to him and it just sits there for 8yrs now....I dont know...I will have to wait and see what happend. I know you say I am entitled to nothing, but I was family by marriage, in my home 35yrs, mel and me and my daughter were lifelong friends.....and we did have a verbal contract. I will be taking that car of his I have and parking it at the house a block away in the driveway, along side his BMW! thanks for the input....i just feel odd mailing a check to a house no one is at any longer...not sure if it has a forwarding address, i tried to call the post office but they said they could not even find the address! I said he has lived there for 40yrs!! I will go over there and ask...its a cluster mailbox, so i guess if the mail person sees the mail stacking up...they would return to sender? i just dont know...guess I have to just wait it out!