NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Moving into a new home is stressful, but imagine moving into a new home and then a couple of days later to find everything gone and the locks changed.
For Victoria Swearinger and her family, it was a nightmare they lived. She and her family began moving boxes into their New Port Richey rental on June 8th, the day their lease took effect.
The family returned on June 10th and that’s when Swearinger said she found someone changed the locks and emptied the home. She told ABC Action News they found some of their belongings sitting in a pile by the road.
“This is the hard part, stuff that I've had since my daughter was two years old. My grandma died. It's gone," Victoria said.
Daughter-in-law Britanny Cromer lost sentimental treasures, including her grandmother's ring and her grandfather's dog tags, along with keepsakes she inherited from her late uncle.
“I immediately burst into tears because of all those things that I know I had in here,” said Cromer.
The New Port Richey Police Officers who responded to the call about a suspected burglary told the family it was a civil matter.
The Cromers sued Sylvan Homes after they said the rental company refused to reimburse them for losses. The complaint stated, "...a clean-out company hired by Sylvan Homes had made a mistake and cleaned out the wrong property."
The family showed ABC Action News a work order that indicates Sylvan scheduled the cleaning and re-keying to be completed by June 10, two days after the lease went into effect.
Sylvan Homes did not return our repeated calls, and their attorney refused to comment. In the lawsuit, the Cromers accused Sylvan Homes of violating Florida law by removing their property and changing the locks.
However, in court filings, Sylvan Homes stated that in this case, its vendor mistakenly removed personal property and changed the locks. The company said because of this, it “would not be liable for damages."
Sylvan Homes filed a motion asking that the case be dismissed. A judge ordered mediation for February 13th. The family is seeking more than $10,000 in damages.
