More problems tonight for tenants of Springfield landlord Becky Spence--she's the woman who's been under fire from the city for the conditions at a number of her rental properties.

Now it appears, there's another issue with one of her properties-- this time, foreclosure.

It was supposed to be their dream home, but not with the flickering lights, the absence of window screens and a giant blue tarp on their roof. Daniel and Amanda Head say their landlord assured them things would be fixed shortly after they moved in, but that hasn't been the case.

"It is a nightmare,” says Amanda.

"We've got our daughter picking up texture off of the floor and eating it,” says Daniel. The couple says every time it rains, chunks of the ceiling come off and fall onto the floor. They say they have to use buckets to collect the downpour that comes inside. And to top that off, they claim the lights flicker during storms.

Even with all of the home's problems, though, Daniel and Amanda have a bigger concern. “We don't know if we have a place to live in a couple weeks or not,” she says.

That's because the house is in foreclosure. The couple found out from a certified letter that was addressed to “Doe”. They have yet to hear confirmation from their landlord, Becky Spence. Spence is the woman who's been under investigation and in trouble with the city several times for failing to comply with code.

"If it was foreclosed before we ever signed a lease, I want to know why we signed a lease with her if it's being auctioned on May 7th,” says Daniel. “I would like to at least be notified. That’s just wrong.”

Tere were things wrong with the house to begin with, but moving from Ohio, they gave it a chance. But at nearly $900 a month and no where to go, they wonder what else they lost. They believe it was much more than money.

“It's very irritating,” says Daniel. “You know, we work hard, we work long hours and you want to just come home and have a nice place to rest and relax,” he says. “And a safe place for our daughter to live,” Amanda adds.

Unfortunately for many renters, this is a growing problem in the Ozarks. KSPR spoke with an attorney who specializes in real estate law who said she deals with this three or four times a day.

However, not all hope is lost--renters can try to make their landlords uphold the contract, though that could turn out more costly than it's worth. Also, renters can try to make an agreement with the foreclosing party. Often, renters can continue to live in the house and pay the bank the rent after the foreclosure is finalized.
As for Becky Spence of Elite Properties, someone from the apartment office faxed over this statement on company letterhead:

“Concerning the property, the roof of this home was damaged during the previous severe storms. Elite Properties promptly contacted our insurance carrier about the damage and also hired a contractor to repair the roof. The contractor made immediate temporary repairs. We are on a waiting list to have the roof repaired. The storm damaged many roofs in the community and that is causing some delay in getting the contractor to complete the work.”

No one from Elite Properties addressed the issue of foreclosure.