Old judgement preventing new residency

[fardella]

San Francisco, CA
My wife and I recently submitted applications for residency at a hotel in downtown SF. We were then informed that I was not approved based on an old (2005) judgment against me claiming I owe a property management company some $2000+. The claim in the judgement I believe is false. Although I did reside at the said address at one point, I was NEVER involved in any legal proceedings to which I would owe anyone any money. I paid rent to the lady I believed to be the owner, who also lived at the house, and eventually moved out upon finding out that she was losing the house to the bank I believed. Apparently, according to the information I read on the superior court website, my name was attached to an eviction proceeding (possibly because I HAD lived there?) that I had NO knowledge of.
My question is how do I proceed in getting this false judgement corrected and the situation rectified so that my wife and I might be able to obtain housing for ourselves and our unborn child? Any assistance is GREATLY appreciated.

 

[sandyclaus]

San Francisco, CA
My wife and I recently submitted applications for residency at a hotel in downtown SF. We were then informed that I was not approved based on an old (2005) judgment against me claiming I owe a property management company some $2000+. The claim in the judgement I believe is false. Although I did reside at the said address at one point, I was NEVER involved in any legal proceedings to which I would owe anyone any money. I paid rent to the lady I believed to be the owner, who also lived at the house, and eventually moved out upon finding out that she was losing the house to the bank I believed. Apparently, according to the information I read on the superior court website, my name was attached to an eviction proceeding (possibly because I HAD lived there?) that I had NO knowledge of.
My question is how do I proceed in getting this false judgement corrected and the situation rectified so that my wife and I might be able to obtain housing for ourselves and our unborn child? Any assistance is GREATLY appreciated.

Darn those old judgments. They always seem to pop up right when it is most inconvenient to do so.

It sounds to me like you moved out early from your rental just because of the potential foreclosure action. What you probably weren't aware of, is that you still had rights to remain in the property under your lease until the actual foreclosure took place. Just being in foreclosure wasn't sufficient reason to leave prematurely.

If you were under a fixed lease, your lease would have transferred to either the bank or new owner at the time of foreclosure. If you abandoned the unit, you were STILL responsible for rent until the end of that lease, or until a new tenant was found to replace you. Because you left, you probably don't even know whether or not the foreclosure went through, or if the property was re-rented after you left. Could be a big problem now to track that information down.

Your first step will be to go to the courthouse and request a copy of the eviction papers filed against you, along with the ruling and judgment. Once you have done that, further questions can be asked of you to determine what liability you still had, if any, and whether or not it would be feasible to even try to challenge the judgment at this late date.

 

[aabbcc]

I wonder if the OP gave their new address when they left. Probably not.