In 2005, Hardy's former employer, a property management group, offered her the chance to live rent-free in the house for as long as she worked for the company. But the company went out of business the following year, and Hardy appeared to fall through the mortgage and municipal cracks: She kept paying her utility bills, and when she called the city to ask what she should do about the delinquent property taxes, officials told her it wasn't her problem because she wasn't the owner. The city was aware of the home's status but was simply overwhelmed with an influx of tax-delinquent homes it had to dump. Now, however, the home has finally been sold at a tax sale, and Hardy hopes she can work something out with the new owner to become the (official) tenant. "There's not one day I haven't thanked the good Lord for the opportunity to live here without rent," she tells the Star.