A house-flipping couple spent $600,000 renovating a bayside home, only to be told by Canada’s Department of Justice that they couldn’t sell it and accused the local government of illegally auctioning off the property , says a local report.
“I hate it. It’s a great house. It’s just so depraved,” Lorna Tenniswood told CTV. “It is a prison of our own making.”
WHY THE CRAFTSMAN WHO turned the tables on squatters confronted a celebrity chef accused of living rent-free
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
“There are 42 government employees from nine different government departments actively working to find a legal way to get us out of this house and hand the keys over to the former owner,” she said.
Lorna and her husband Ian Tenniswood, who renovate homes for a living, had been working on the four-bedroom coastal home with a lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Fundy in Hampton, Nova Scotia. The couple said they decided to buy the property in 2021 for $50,000 after a small claims court ruled the home would be auctioned off to resolve a payment dispute between the Tenniswoods and the owner.
But when the couple wanted to sell the house after it was restored, the Justice Department barred them from selling, filed a lawsuit against the property owners, and argued that the local sheriff’s department, which conducted the auction, never informed the previous owner, Mehdi Martin, about his house According to CTV, it is for sale. At that point, the Tenniswoods had already sunk $600,000 into renovations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
CHECK OUT THE TOP FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINAL STORIES:
SEE MORE DIGITAL ORIGINALS FROM FOX NEWS HERE
“We didn’t feel like it was a risk that wouldn’t pay off. We felt very confident knowing we could make it a gem,” said Lorna. “And that’s it. And we knew the money would come back to us.”
The couple had sold their previous home to finance their plan to remodel the Hampton home. Just weeks after the newly renovated home was put on the market in July 2022, Nova Scotia’s attorney general withheld the property, arguing that the home did not belong to the Tenniswoods and should be returned to its previous owner, according to CTV.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The Hampton house had its own lighthouse, which Lorna described as a “unique night light.” (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The shock of having your house taken away from you without being told,” Matin, a New York-based artist, told CTV. “Well, that’s the worst part. That’s the worst. This is wrong.”
REPEAT SQUATTER TRYING TO SELL VICTIM’S HOUSE FOR THE SECOND TIME
“I want my house and my land back, and I want to be paid for my pain,” he continued. “Million dollars, that’s how much my pain is worth.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Matin had originally hired the Tenniswoods to help repair the Hampton home, but refused to pay them in full due to a disagreement over the work done, so they sued him in small claims court in 2020, according to the couple. After Matin failed to respond to correspondence from the sheriff’s department claiming his home could be auctioned off to pay for the Tenniswoods, the property was put up for sale, the family said.
“I never got those emails,” Matin said. “You’re going to take my house away from me in an email?”
“Call me,” he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
According to Nova Scotia Attorney General and Justice Minister Brad Johns, the case has actually led to changes at the Justice Department.
“Because this matter is still before the courts, I can only make limited statements,” he told Fox News in a statement. “The department has modified practices within the Sheriff Services to address the issues identified in this case.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
According to CTV, Matin will reclaim the recently renovated home, depending on the outcome of the Tenniswoods’ lawsuit. The trial is scheduled for August 2024.
“That was a huge mistake,” Lorna said. “We regret it.”