COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Dozens of families across central Ohio are fighting to become homeowners through a lease-to-purchase program.
Pay rent for 15 years, then buy the home. But NBC4 Investigates found dozens of local families who’ve paid rent for more than 15 years and still aren’t homeowners.
When they couldn’t get answers, they turned to NBC4 Investigates to find out why. Families tell us they feel misled, even lied to.
NBC4 Investigates spoke to more than a dozen families in three Columbus neighborhoods, who, instead of paying a mortgage, are still paying rent that keeps going up.
“I shouldn't be tied to anybody at all. I did my 15 years here,” said Nichole Hardy, who lives in one of the lease-option homes.
“We’re going to fight, whatever it takes,” Tamani Lucy Thompson said.
Thompson lives in the same neighborhood as Hardy. So does Eldridge Law, another neighbor we spoke with. They’ve all been in the southeast Columbus neighborhood for 16 years.
“According to the original contract, the home should be ours flat out,” Eldridge Law said.
Janet Daniels is in another neighborhood, but also joined the lease-option program through the same company 21 years ago.
“I'm not trying to be mean, but I've got an attitude now because they walked all over me and I thought I was the only one for years,” Daniels said.
“There's no follow-through. A lot of broken promises. A lot of 'I'll call you back.' A lot of no call back at all,” said Tracee Black-Fall, who lives in a third neighborhood with the same problem.
Homeport is the nonprofit behind these developments. It develops affordable housing in Columbus.
“The thought of being a homeowner for the first time in the family is big in our community,” Hardy said.
“It gave us hope. Definitely something to achieve and accomplish and even just keep persevering towards having that goal,” Thompson said.
The Levelgreen community in northeast Columbus is the Homeport neighborhood Black-Fall moved into more than 20 years ago. At the time, she was recovering from a brain aneurysm.
“Considering what all I had been through, it was a dream come true,” Black-Fall said.
Throughout Columbus, Homeport builds neighborhoods and individual homes.
“I was just starting a family that long ago and it was a great idea to get in on this,” Law said.
“I saw advertisements, several of them for affordable homes for anybody. I said, that sounds great,” Daniels said.
Homeport receives federal and state dollars, approved by the City of Columbus, for its lease-option program. Low- to moderate-income families can rent a home for 15 years and then get the option to buy, which is outlined in the contract with Homeport that they each signed.
“I was beyond excited, I was a single mom,” Hardy said.
That excitement has turned to frustration, as calls and emails requesting to buy the homes have gone unanswered, and instead of paying a mortgage, they are still paying rising rents. NBC4 Investigates read through the contracts and researched state requirements for this program, and we found these families are entitled to buy their homes.
“The rent's been going up $100 every year, every year. So the past four years now” Law said. “I feel like they're waiting us out, trying to wait us out.”
“Put me in the mortgage,” Daniels said.
Homeport did not give NBC4 Investigates an interview for this story and did not explain the delay. A spokesperson for Homeport sent an email confirming: “now that these homes have completed the required 15-year term – we can move forward with sales.” It adds no one will be denied the opportunity to buy their home, but does not state when or how.
“We have ran into several other communities that said they been in their homes over 20 years and they're running into the same thing. But we're not waiting until 20 years,” Hardy said.
“We did our part. We complied with everything they asked us to comply for. We took classes. We've taken care of the property. We've done everything they asked. And to not get a call back. It's not acceptable,” Black-Fall said.
The email from Homeport acknowledges the delays, but a spokesperson did not respond to our questions of why this has happened across multiple communities.
“Don’t get people’s hopes up,” Daniels said.
“Sell us the homes. Not 90 days, not 120 days, 30 days, sell us the homes,” Law said.
Those NBC4 Investigates spoke with at the southeast Columbus neighborhood were supposed to be able to purchase their homes in January of this year. Daniels and others at Levelgreen have been waiting since 2019, when mortgage rates were half of what they are now.
Homeport tells us everyone will have the opportunity to buy their home. We’ll let you know when it happens.
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