Mr. Eddie Hill, a client of the Georgia Legal Services Program's Manufactured Housing Project, did not anticipate that the mobile home he purchased for his family seven years ago would fall apart before his eyes.  Mr. Hill's mobile home was so dilapidated that repairs could not keep up with the deterioration.  Mr. Hill's home passed an insurance inspection at the time of purchase.  Over the years, Mr. Hill did what he could financially to fix his home. 

Mr. Hill reported problems with the home to both the seller and company which financed the purchase, but he didn't receive a response from either party.  Mr. Hill says the mobile home, which was 14 years old when he purchased it, was sold to him under false pretenses.  Tomieka Daniel, project attorney for the Manufactured Housing Project, said that Mr. Hill's mobile home problems are not uncommon to many mobile home owners, especially in rural Georgia, where purchasing a mobile home, also known as manufactured housing, is about the only affordable way for most families to own a home.

Mr. Hill contacted Daniel for legal assistance after his complaints to the mortgage company were ignored.  Daniel said, "When I visited with Mr. Hill in his home, I saw first-hand the family's urgent need for safe and sanitary housing."  Daniel's research and advocacy found that under the sales contract, the mortgage company was subject to all claims Mr. Hill could assert against the seller of his mobile home.  Though the seller was no longer in business, Mr. Hill's claims could be raised directly against the mortgage company.  The company that financed the purchase sent an inspector to the premises.

As a result of the legal assistance provided by GLSP, the mortgage company decided to cancel Mr. Hill's remaining debt on the property.  The company considered Mr. Hill's loan paid in full.  The title was returned to Mr. Hill and the lien against the mobile home was released.  Daniel assisted Mr. Hill in finding safe and suitable housing for his family.

Read more about the work of GLSP in the 2006 Annual Report (click here).