Appearing in The New York Times on March, 21, 2026, Jill Terreri Ramos talks to Sarah B. Mancini, managing director of advocacy at NCLC, about how renting a home until you have enough money to buy it might look like an attractive option, but there are traps everywhere.
“Tenants in a lease-option may spend more on the home than they would if they knew they were just renting, either on monthly payments, option fee, or repairs and improvements to the home,” said Sarah B. Mancini, managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center. “All without the certainty that they will ever own it.”
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