Subleasing confusion leaves Clayton family without a home before Thanksgiving
Robyn and Mike McCue found a four-bedroom home in Clayton on Airbnb and started renting the Crawford Parkway property in September through an entity called Sleep Lux LLC.
In October, the McCues said Aki Stanley and Niya Chamberlain, a married couple with Sleep Lux LLC who claimed to own the home, agreed to sublease the the property to them privately. Stanley and Chamberlain tell WRAL Investigates they agreed on $2,500 per month with no contract.
“We needed to be in the area and we were desperate,” Robyn McCue said. “We had been looking for a while.”
The arrangement was working out until McCue received an eviction notice at her door on Nov. 8. The paperwork, which was filed in Johnston County District Court, shows the home is owned by FirstKey Homes LLC and rented to Yahnise Harmon.
Harmon is the sister of Chamberlain and sister-in-law of Stanley.
In a phone interview with WRAL Investigates, Chamberlain and Stanley said they managed the property for Harmon. They also said they never told the McCues they owned the home.
“[Stanley] is not only not the owner, he’s not the tenant,” McCue said.
WRAL Investigates took a closer look at Sleep Lux LLC and found it is not registered in North Carolina. Chamberlain is listed as a registered agent for three other LLCs that all dissolved in the past eight years.
The same day the eviction notice was received, McCue filed a report with the Clayton Police Department. The department confirms it opened an investigation into potential fraud.
On Nov. 23, officers filed charges against Stanley for two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses.
WRAL Investigates reached out to Stanley and Chamberlain for comment but neither has responded.
Stanley and Chamberlain said previously they were unaware that subleasing was prohibited; however, a lease document provided by FirstKey Homes shows it is a violation to sublease rentals or use rentals business purposes.
“Like every homeowner, our top priority is the safety and security of the homes we offer and the communities we live in and serve. That’s why we require background checks on all prospective rental residents over 18 and don't allow subleasing or third-party listing of our homes on transient rental sites like Airbnb. We have contacted the Clayton Police Department to offer our assistance in their active investigation,” said Tracy Stantial, district operations manager for FirstKey Homes.
Stanley and Chamberlain said they want the McCues to vacate the home because the family stopped paying rent after receiving the eviction notice.
“You can’t take advantage of people,” McCue said. “You have to realize your actions can really damage someone that you are doing that to.”
FirstKey Homes said the renter paid in full for the back rent that caused the first eviction notice; however, the company plans to terminate the lease due to the criminal charges filed on Friday.
“The [McCue’s] are welcome to apply for another home. However, they will not be able to stay in this home,” Stantial said.
FirstKey Homes said the McCues can not stay because they do not have a lease with the company and have not gone through the necessary steps, including a background check, to apply for a rental.
McCue said she hopes her story serves as a lesson to other renters about the importance of confirming the legitimate property owner before moving into a rental. She said if she would have known more she would not be searching for a new home the day before Thanksgiving.
“We don’t know where we’ll go," McCue said. "We’ll have to start from scratch again.”
