Brandon Kelso lived with his father and sister in a modest Columbus, Ohio, house when his father passed away in 2017. Kelso, then 28 years old, negotiated a new contract in 2020 with the home’s seller to take over the monthly payments his father had been making since 2012 to purchase the house. Kelso continued paying each month with the understanding that at the end of the contract term, he would own the home.
But after Kelso submitted his final payment in July 2023, the seller didn’t transfer the deed proving Kelso’s ownership of the home. Kelso repeatedly asked for the deed as agreed to in the contract but got no reply. Instead, the seller offered Kelso $200 to leave the home, which he declined. An eviction notice on Kelso’s door followed.
That’s when the police arrived, and Kelso learned the seller had reported that he was breaking and entering…