In today’s volatile real estate market, home ownership feels like a distant dream for many. But for Dr. Craig Adams, a dentist from North Carolina, his dream of owning a home quickly turned into a living nightmare when he discovered that a stranger had legally claimed his house—without his knowledge, IOL reports.
Adams, who owns a property valued at approximately R69.3 million (USD $3.6 million), was blindsided when a neighbour asked if he had sold his home after noticing unusual activity. According to a report from ABC 7 Chicago, the neighbour informed Adams that a woman named Dawn Mangum had requested access codes to the property, claiming ownership. To his astonishment, Adams discovered that Mangum had filed court documents and successfully obtained the deed to his house.
The situation Adams faced exposed a shocking loophole in the property registration system. Despite never having met Mangum, Adams learned that she had legally filed paperwork with the local Register of Deeds, and once it was accepted, the deed could not be easily revoked.
“They say there’s absolutely nothing they can do to reverse this,” Adams explained, recounting his conversation with local authorities. “Once it’s filed, their only solution is that I have to go hire a private attorney, and the first quote I got was about $8,000 (around R138,517) to file a civil suit against this woman.”
This bizarre incident highlights the troubling ease with which someone can make a false claim of ownership of another person’s property. Without proper checks, the deed was transferred, leaving Adams in a legal quagmire, scrambling to reclaim his home.
Adams believes that Mangum’s goal was to squat in the home and use the fraudulent deed to delay the eviction process. This would allow her to remain on the property legally for as long as possible while Adams went through the lengthy and costly process of fighting for his rightful ownership in court.
However, Mangum defended her actions, telling ABC 7 Chicago that she submitted the paperwork because she believed the property had been abandoned or left behind. According to her, the law allowed her to claim it as her own, as she assumed it was a foreclosed property.
The Register of Deeds, responsible for verifying property transfers, allegedly failed to conduct the most basic checks before approving the deed transfer to Mangum. This oversight has left Adams to deal with the fallout.
As Adams embarks on a legal battle to reclaim his home, he hopes his story serves as a warning to others. “Anyone can go downtown and make a false claim for someone else’s property,” Adams said, sounding the alarm for homeowners in North Carolina and beyond.
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