Blacklick, OH asked in Banking, Civil Litigation, Contracts and Real Estate Law for Ohio

Q: Is it against the law to force someone to sign the deed to their home over to them?

I applied for mortgage assistance in which I could skip some payments and have them rolled to the end of my mortgage. I was approved and skipped about 11 payments. The lender needed my wife and I to sign papers to make it official. My inlaws told my wife to not sign those papers. Despite my pleadings, she refused to sign them because her father and brother told her it was a terrible idea. They then told her it didn't matter anyway because her father was going to pay off the mortgage using part of her inheritance. The lenders offer was rescinded and all missed payments were due. I could not make all those payments at once and a foreclosure complaint was filed. Again, my inlaws told my wife that they were paying off the home. Then, about a week before the foreclosure deadline, my wife and I were handed papers to sign that said they were indeed paying off the mortgage but upon receiving the lien release we have to sign a quit claim deed giving ownership to him & we could rent it!

1 Lawyer Answer
Joseph Jaap
Joseph Jaap
Answered
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: The in-laws aren't forcing you to sign, they are offering a choice - you can either sign (and then rent from them or move elsewhere), or allow the foreclosure to proceed and you would be evicted by the new owner or you could try to rent from the new owner. Or the in-laws could purchase it at the foreclosure. Another alternative would be for you to refinance the house with a different lender to pay off the current mortgage. Use the Find a Lawyer tab to retain a local real estate attorney to review all the facts and advise you of your options.

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