Please help our Family secure safe housing after our new Landlord has already failed us.

Hey guys, Casey and Sidney here, and we are desperate, and totally don't know what to do so we are asking for help during a situation we never expected to be in. Our lease is up the beginning of January, and we have been working non-stop lately to save up for the big move, as we have been looking to rent a house so we have space for the kids to have their own room and yard to play in.

We were trying to move somewhere within 30 minutes of Alexanders therapies, as he was diagnosed with ASD earlier this year, so when we found this house we were so excited! The kids could finally have their own room, we loved the property, we can afford it, and we planned on moving in early to have things set up to surprise them for Christmas with their own new beds and stuff.

On December 10th, we paid nearly $3,000 to move into what we were told was a move-in ready rental home. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we discovered serious issues that made the home unsafe and unlivable.

The landlord never changed the locks from the previous tenant or changed them from the house being a self-tour house, so anyone could have a copy of the key to the house. The house was not cleaned at all, and the prior tenants clearly had a pet, a fun fact we didn't discover until letting the heat run over night. The next morning after arriving to start moving in, we were smacked in the face with an overwhelming smell of animal pee. So we had to rent a shampooer to clean the carpets, all around my work schedule.

When we met to do the walk through, the girl they sent couldn't answer any of our questions, and we were given 1 key to the house- the key she took out of the lockbox. When we asked about the garage door opener, she lightly chuckled and said- "Oh it doesn't work". Not only does it not work, it doesn't lock, and the door from the garage to go inside the house is on backwards, so just anyone can walk up and enter the house with no issues. Because of this, we had to delay moving in, even though we had already paid prorated rent starting from December 10th.

Sid was supposed to start a new job December 15th, that we had to push back just dealing with all the additional stress of this. When we reach out to the landlord, he either responds with "read your lease- you rented it as is" but he didn't even fulfill his minimal care and duty as a landlord to begin with in delivering a clean and habitable property to us.

We are now facing the reality that we may have to take this matter to court just to protect ourselves and recover our money. We don't feel safe, we don't trust this man, and we are stuck in a lease now with seemingly no options.

We haven't been able to move in at all, and the landlord isn't willing to refund us any money towards all the money we had to spend to clean the carpets.

This situation has affected us deeply emotionally, financially, and professionally.

Christmas is less than two weeks away, and what we hoped would be a fresh start for our kids, each having their own room, has turned into uncertainty and stress.

We were approved for 3 other places, and a couple of them are still available, so we are just trying to come up with enough money in a quick period to be able to move somewhere else and seek an attorney.

We have applied for loans, and even though we have the income coming in and my credit is in the low 700's, we both haven't been at our new jobs for that long, so we are having the hardest time getting approved anywhere.

We are doing everything we can to handle this responsibly, but this situation is bigger than we can manage alone right now.

If you’re able to donate, we are beyond grateful. If not, sharing this fundraiser means just as much. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for supporting our family during this incredibly difficult moment.

Thank You so much and God Bless,

Sidney, Casey, Alexander & Amaya