The three-bedroom house in suburban Atlanta on a quiet cul-de-sac seemed exactly what Jeneyha Wheatley-Frett and her husband, Shawn Frett, were looking for when they moved in about 15 months ago with their three children.The couple signed a three-year lease with an option to buy the split-level house from Divvy Homes, one of the nation’s largest rent-to-own companies. But almost from the moment the Fretts moved into the 30-year-old house in Lithonia, Ga., it was plagued by problems. Rainwater often seeped in. The electrical system was faulty. Some appliances didn’t work. And mold was spreading on some walls, they said.“When it floods, you can feel the water squishing under the floor tiles,” said Ms. …
