Wortman offered to hold the mortgage and let Zinck continue to live in the house. In exchange, Zinck would pay him back, along with an additional $10,000, he said.
Then he came home and was met by sheriffs. Wortman was claiming to own the house and had obtained an order from the small claims court.
Public documents show the house was in foreclosure when it was transferred to Wortman, who became the registered owner in June 2004.
Wortman asked for the termination of Zinck's tenancy on the grounds Zinck was preventing Wortman from conducting repairs and maintenance.
"Mr. Zinck insists he is still the owner of the property and did not sign the property over to Mr. Wortman," according to Nova Scotia public records.
Zinck wanted to take the matter to the supreme court but couldn't afford to, the documents note.
The government sided with Wortman, finding that Zinck was a tenant and terminating his tenancy.
But Zinck tells a different story. He said the deal they signed said that if Zinck missed three payments, the house became Wortman's. Zinck claimed never to have missed a payment, but said he couldn't afford to fight it.
“He knew what he was doing,” Zinck said. “It’s hard to explain, I was down and out and he stepped right in.”
Wortman emptied the house, put Zinck’s possessions into dumpsters and sold the property for a tidy profit.
“He was smiling while doing all that; he thought it was funny,” Zinck told Global News. “How could somebody do that to somebody, and basically smile while they’re doing it?”
“I didn’t lose my house, he stole my house.”
