About three weeks ago a friend of mine paid down $50,000 for two months rent on a house. After a careful inspection of the house she changed her mind, and now she can't get back her money.

This house was advertised, this poor woman saw the ad, and acted. Unfortunately, she did not have the time to go and look at it herself, so she asked her husband to go. He went and apparently he did not do a good job of inspecting the place. He passed it as OK. This minimum wage earner lady went and borrowed a few thousand dollars to make up the 50,000 and sent it to the home owner's residence somewhere in Russell Heights. The house that she is renting is in the Washington Boulevard area.

No electricity

With her mind feeling contented that she finally had found a place after looking around for so long, she went to clean the place so that she could move in only to find out that there was no electricity at the premises. In fact there was no Jamaica Public Service (JPS) meter at the house. When she checked, the bathroom fixtures were broken.

She had planned to correct all this because she wanted the house, but when she checked with JPS she was told that thousands of dollars was owed for that premises so the company had taken out the meter. So, on this basis she changed her mind about this place. Obviously she can't afford to settle this account with the JPS.

She asked for a refund of her money but the man refused. She insisted and the owner said OK, write a letter stating why you do not want the house, and within 24 hours after he received that letter she would get back her money. However, before she wrote the letter she made a complaint to the police who advised her that since he said that she should write a letter, then she ought to go ahead and do that, and if she did not get back her money in the timeframe set by the owner, then she should return to them (the police).

Protection

She went back to the police after a few days still not having received her money and the police directed her to the Rent Board.

At the Rent Board they told her that in order for her to get back her money she would have to sue the man. How on God's Earth can this woman afford a lawyer just to sue this man for $50,000?

My main question is; What kind of protection does the state provide for people like this woman against unscrupulous people who are bent on robbing the poor in the most clever way they can? Where does she go from here to secure her money?

I am, etc.,

AINSLEY BROWN

ainsleyben@yahoo.com

St Andrew