Safeguard Properties Illegally enered my property, $50,000property loss and $10,000 property damage Valley View Ohio

 Perhaps I did not make it clear in mhy initital post, it has been established that Bank of America had my current and correct email addresses and phone numbers.  I was never contacted.  Whoever destroyed the entry door, did it from inside the house, after using a key to gain entry through the changed lock on the front entry door.

Safeguard Properties has been less than forthcoming in assisting with the timeline and refuses to answer any questions as to how the initially entered the house, who authorized the entry and under whose authjpority they entered.  I have, currently, four separatre dates that the house was determoined to be empty.  Nio one will explain how the dates were arrived at and under whose authority.  In fact, Safeguard stalled any investigation into the matter for three months and then directed me to their legal department.

The fact remains that the house was not vacant.  I was easy to find and never received ANY contact from Bank of America, Safeguard or their apparent comntractor, MCS.  Bank of America has now sold my loan to another company, in an attempt to dodge responsibility.  I am still not made whole, in this matter nad the legal process is moving forward.  When the nouse was entered, the company that entered became bailor of the property and they were remiss in their responsibilities.

Perhaps you are responsible, as a property inspector.  Whoever did this is not.  A simple Google of Safeguard Properties reveals ample evidence that this is not an isolated event and is fairly widespread across the country.  In fact a review of the Maryland Judicial Search page, shows that Safeguard has been sued a number of times for occurrances just like this.

For starters, I'm sorry this happened to you. I own an inspection company/preservation company that has been in service for over 15 years. I have never seen anything like this, which leads me to believe that it was not the preservation company that was at fault with destroying your things, but a thief/vandal. Here is what happens when you are delinquent on your mortgage:

1.) When delinquent, the bank will attempt to contact you. If you do not answer your phone, or ignore them, they will send out an inspector to view your home from the outside only. That inspector is to see if there is anyone living in the home. If there are signs of occupancy, the inspector will will take photos of the front of the home, the address, street scene and street sign. They will also leave an envelope on your door (taped or hanging from the door handle) advising you to call your mortgage company immediately to discuss your account and delinquency. If it appears that the home is vacant (small amounts of furniture visible, tall grass, yard overgrown, piles of phone books on porch, utilities off, no tracks in the snow which has been on the ground for over 30-days, etc.), then the inspector will put a 'vacancy sticker' on the door with another envelope to advise you to call your mortgage service provider. If I put an envelope on the door, come back 30-days later, and the envelope is still there, then I know that the home is vacant, and thus the bank reserves the right to protect it's assets by winterizing the home.

2.) After that is done, the locks will be changed (if vacant), and the home winterized. The bank does this to protect the property. However, NO ITEMS ARE TO BE TOUCHED OR MOVED UNTIL A FORECLOSURE IS FINAL, AND THE MARSHAL HAS EVICTED! That is where I don't understand what happened in your case. Any professional in this field knows this, and it is the CARDINAL rule when doing this line of work. I always ensure that the eviction has taken place, all legalities are done and final before EVER SUBMITTING A DEBRIS REMOVAL BID! The ransacking of the house suggests to me that it was vandals and thieves that broke into your home, not the preservation company throwing items all over the place. If they were to remove your belongings (wrongly I might add), then you'd have come home to an empty house, not everything destroyed and broken, with mattresses thrown about.

3.) ALWAYS STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY!!! NEVER EVER IGNORE THEM, AND CALL THEM EVERY MONTH TO INFORM THAT YOU INTEND TO KEEP YOUR HOME, AND WILL COOPERATE WITH THEM FULLY!!!!! I have seen countless cases where the owner flat out ignores the mortgage company, and it comes back to bite them in the rear. They will assume that you plan on letting the home go, and will more than likely ALWAYS FORECLOSE!!

4.) You should expect an inspector every 30-days or so. He/She will approach you with that sealed envelope that I described previously at least once. TELL HIM THAT YOU LIVE THERE AND THAT YOU PLAN ON KEEPING YOUR HOME! He/She will report that to the bank/preservation company, and every month there after will only drive by the home to make sure that there are no changes in the occupancy, and will not bother you, unless he/she sees signs that are consistant with a vacant home, then he/she will knock again, and leave a card again.

5.) I hope this helps you to understand what we do in this business. No professional company would do what was done to your home, which is why I believe it was done by crooks, not a pres company. I can't stress to you how important it is for you to keep in touch with your lender. If you will be out of town for a long period of time, turn a porch light on, and leave it that way. Utilities on suggest occupancy. Hang some exterior decorations, make sure the lawn is kept up by a neighbor, family member or friend. Simple things like that will ensure that your property will not have a vacancy notice put on the door, and the inspector WILL submit the report as 'occupied'.

Have a good day, best of luck!