When Audra signed a lease for what was supposed to be a safe, single-family rental home in Greenville, South Carolina, she hoped it would be a fresh start for her and her family. What she encountered instead was a nightmare: a house so dilapidated and unsafe it was condemned by Greenville County authorities 19 days after she signed the lease.
A Code Enforcement officer posted a stark warning on the front door, “UNFIT, UNSAFE, UNLAWFUL.” The house had structural flaws, electrical hazards, water supply issues, and a leaking roof. Unable to live in the house she rented, she asked the landlord just to return her prepaid rent and security deposit. But the landlord refused, leaving her without shelter, out $1,590 dollars, and nowhere to turn.
