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- A California couple could finally get into their new home after the former owner refused to leave.
- Due to the state's eviction moratorium, the seller continued to occupy the property after the couple bought the home.
- Myles and Tracie Albert were able to change the locks of their home after 15 months.
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A California couple was finally able to change the locks on their new more than half-a-million-dollar home after the previous homeowner refused to leave the property for 15 months, according to CBSLA.
Myles and Tracie Albert, purchased their Riverside, California home in cash in January 2020 for $650,000 just before the coronavirus pandemic, as CBSLA reported. However, after they bought the four-bedroom home, the seller would not leave.
"It's just draining, emotionally and financially," Tracie told Fox 11 LA in March.
Due to the state's COVID-19 eviction moratorium, which protects tenants from getting evicted amid the pandemic, the couple had a difficult time forcing him to leave the residence, according to CBSLA.
"It's genuinely unfathomable to me that we live in a state where something like this is even possible. They closed escrow on this home January 31, 2020," the couple's real estate agent, Chris Taylor, told Fox 11 LA.
As Insider's Mary Meisenzahl previously reported, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill extending the state's eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021.
Last week, the couple could get into their home and remove the previous owner's possessions; however, their entire experience caused them to "hate" their new abode, according to CBSLA.
"I hate this home now, and it really does suck, but every time I drive up this street it's anxiety," Myles Albert told CBSLA. "At this point, I can't imagine moving in."