A Florida couple is accusing Berry-Rock Homes of fraud in connection with a rent-to-own house in Yukon, Oklahoma. Michael and Shannon Taylor filed a lawsuit against the company and its affiliate, LIV Mortgage, claiming the businesses misled them about the details of their agreement and encouraged them to lie about their business income to secure a mortgage.
According to the lawsuit, the couple signed up for a rent-to-own program in January 2024, paying a nonrefundable $30,700 deposit to later purchase a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house built in 2022. Their monthly rent was set at $4,505. The house was purchased by Berry-Rock Homes for $439,000 through a related limited liability company.
The Taylors initially found out about the program from a real estate agent after a previous rent-to-own deal they had agreed to fell through. They selected the Yukon property and signed the agreement, but months later, they were contacted by a loan officer from LIV Mortgage.
The loan officer urged them to apply for a mortgage to buy the house but suggested they inflate the numbers for the small business they owned. The couple, who run a bookkeeping and tax preparation company, were uneasy with this advice.
The loan officer even told Michael Taylor that they needed to “play the game a little bit” to get the loan approved. The loan officer’s comments, recorded in the lawsuit, suggested that misreporting income might be the only way to get the loan through.
The lawsuit claims that the companies involved in the deal misled the Taylors about the nature of their $30,700 deposit. They said that when Berry-Rock’s affiliate filed for a mortgage on the property, the deposit was not mentioned in any related documents. This, according to the couple, indicated that the deposit wasn’t handled correctly.
Despite the issues, the Taylors moved into the house but eventually left. The house is now listed for sale at $445,000. In response, Berry-Rock Homes defended its Pathway Program, claiming it had helped hundreds of people achieve homeownership. The company also noted that an $8 million investment from the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office in 2022 had earned taxpayers a return of over $2 million.
While the companies have not yet responded to the latest claims in the lawsuit, they had previously countersued the Taylors, accusing them of failing to pay rent and interfering in business dealings with Berry-Rock Mortgage. In their countersuit, Berry-Rock and its affiliates argued that the Taylors were trying to get their $30,700 deposit back by using the legal process to gain leverage.
In the meantime, the Taylors are still in the middle of their legal battle with Berry-Rock Homes, which continues to deny their allegations.
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