DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta family thought they had finally found their dream home only to learn the person they paid didn’t hold the keys to the property.
Karl Griffin and Kayna Johnson told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln they put down nearly $3,000 to move into their rental home on Gresham Road.
They have loved living in the home for the last month.
“We thought everything was good,” Griffin said.
“This is my first home with me and my kids,” Johnson said.
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The couple says they responded to a Zillow ad and were contacted by a Gabriel Valdez, who claimed he was with Invitation Homes.
“He said he was the homeowner,” Griffin said.
Trusting that, they paid Valdez an application fee, deposit, and first month’s rent and said they received an approval letter to seal the deal.
But Griffin says red flags started popping up after Valdez asked them to pay extra money to hire a locksmith to open the doors
“We felt suspicious with it,” he said.
Weeks later, they received a notice and a visit from men in an Invitation Homes truck demanding they vacate the property.
“When those trucks showed up, it was just like glass shattering. You know, I just didn’t know how to pick up the pieces,” Griffin said.
“We’re not squatters. We did the proper step to get in here. We did everything that we supposed to have,” Johnson said.
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Invitation Homes told Lincoln that it does not employ anyone by the name of Gabriel Valdez — and none of the documents he provided matched their records.
Lincoln called several numbers listed for Valdez and got no response for either. She received the following statement from Invitation Homes.
“We are always frustrated to discover that one of our homes has been used for these types of scams, which can have a devastating impact on the victims. Our goal, as always, is to offer quality homes and ensure our residents have great experiences. We take multiple precautions to prevent criminals from using our homes for scams, including working with a third party that analyzes independent listing sites for fraudulent listings of Invitation Homes properties and facilitates the removal of any such listings.”
The family says they now are exploring other options in the event they have to move.
“We love the home. We really wish that we could make things the right way or better,” Griffin said.
Invitation Home says it lists on its website a number of ways renters can protect themselves in these situations.
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