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    60-year-old homebuyer blindsided by previous owner, who demands access to the backyard shed: 'These sheds can go for thousands of dollars'

    Can you imagine going through an entire buying process only to discover after closing that the previous owner is claiming he has access to the backyard shed?

    This sounds like something the real estate agent probably should have mentioned prior to closing the deal, although the agent claims that she was unaware of this as well. Now, this first-time 60-year-old homebuyer, who had wanted to own her own place for decades, is dealing with legal proceedings regarding who technically has access to this shed.

    She was under the impression that it was considered part of her property, as it was in her backyard and she hadn't been told otherwise during the negotiation process. The previous owner, however, feels differently.

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    • An older woman in a purple sweater places her hands over her head in frustration.
      via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

      An older woman in a purple sweater places her hands over her head in frustration.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Mom purchased home with shed in backyard, now there’s a guy in a truck showing up saying that the shed belongs to him?

      I am staying at my mom's house. A guy shows up today while she is at work. He tells me that the shed in the backyard belonged to the previous owner. She was renting to own and she stopped
      via Ok_Lime4124
    • making payments. He said it belongs to the company he works for and my mom has to either continue the payments or let them come take it.
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    • She is a first time homebuyer. She is in her 60s. I'm trying my best to help her with this as I have never owned a home and dealt with this either.
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    • But shouldn't the realtor have known whether this shed actually came with the property? Because I'm quite sure her realtor sold the home advertising the shed as if it came with the property.
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    • A wooden shed surrounded by greenery in a backyard.
      via Sebastian Huxley

      A wooden shed surrounded by greenery in a backyard.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • It's clear that this mother and daughter were ill-prepared for the headache-inducing legal woes that are sure to come now that they are embroiled in this property dispute. In fact, we are of the opinion that the previous owner knew exactly what he was doing when he neglected to bring up the business of who owns the shed earlier. 

      Someone who is willing to stir up legal trouble so soon after a deal likely had tricks up his sleeve the whole time. It's one of those situations in which one has to consider the previous owner's malicious intent. If this shed was so important to him, why wouldn't he have mentioned it sooner? It's possible he thought he could get away with these shady practices just because he was dealing with a first-time, middle-aged homebuyer. Here's hoping his failure at transparency can give the author and her mother some leverage during the remainder of this process.

    • Has anybody dealt with this before? Thanks! Updating to clear some confusion. I wrote this post right after it happened so in the moment and kind of hastily, so I guess the scenario wasn't clear enough;
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    • The previous owner of the house is the one who was renting to own the shed that is in the backyard, not my mom. My mom purchased this house a few months ago, my mom is not the one who was renting the shed. To
      via Ok_Lime4124
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    • my mom's knowledge, the shed came with the house. She is in contact now with the real estate agent and the attorney and I believe she has discovered that there is no lien on the shed. That is the update so far.
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    • Her nor I expected this post to blow up the way it did, I was expecting maybe two or three kind people to see this post and offer some advice and that's it lol. We kind of feel like deer in headlights dealing with this. We
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    • know some people don't even believe this scenario is real and they are confused about renting a shed, but we live in a rural part of the country where that kind of thing is actually pretty normal
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    • and these sheds can go for thousands of dollars that some people just don't have straight up cash for. Nevertheless, thank you to everyone who has chimed in.
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    • She has definitely read a lot of your responses and we are taking the advice all in and making moves!
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    • samfreez . I would definitely check with the realtor on that. If the home was sold with the shed conveying, I would have to guess the guy showing up to take the shed should be following up with the newly-enriched former home owner to take care of the bill... not the new home owner.
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    • I am by no means a lawyer, but I'd definitely consider asking a real one. That sounds suspect and likely shady to me.
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    • rtduvall That's what title insurance is for. Call your closing attorney.
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    • BrokeTheSimulat... The previous owner is delinquent on shed payments? And they want to take it back? Contact realtor
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    • Dubzophrenia So, additional context is needed here. Example of two types of sheds below, both of which can convey differently based on the contract.
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    • Cheezburger Image 10624713728
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    • Left shed - metal shed, build and affixed to the property. There would be absolutely zero deniability that this remains, unless specifically excluded, as it is considered affixed and thus real property.
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    • Right shed Plastic shed, - pop up type that sits freely. This is where the gray area comes in. These types of sheds are (relatively) cheap around $1000, and can easily be moved around.
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    • Since it can be easily moved around and not fixed property, technically it's not real property and unless you specified it stays in the contract, they can take it.
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    • You mentioned "rent-to- own". If that was the case here and the property sold and the "owner" of the shed stopped making their payments, the company is coming to collect their property back.
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    • As a Realtor, is is 100% genuinely possible that the agent was unaware of the rent-to-own situation. I am only aware of things if my clients make me aware, so if they never told me it was a rent-to-own situation, I wouldn't know and would
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    • have simply asked if the shed is staying, and if they say "yes" with no additional context, I am under the belief that it is their shed.
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    • However, if it was conveyed to you definitively that the shed was to remain with the property when your mom purchased it and this company comes and takes it back, then there are two options left:
      via Ok_Lime4124
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    • 1. The previous homeowner buyers your mom a new shed. 2. The Realtor buys your mom a new shed.
      via Ok_Lime4124
    • As a Realtor, I've had my fair share of having to purchase items that should have remained behind because my clients disobeyed their contract. I've probably bought about 5 refrigerators, 2 washer/dryer combos, and an expensive pool skimmer just to avoid headaches and lawsuits.
      via Ok_Lime4124

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    mother homeowner neighborhood-drama real estate backyard new homebuyers entitled people
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