My dad was looking to buy a trailer for camping with my mom since he is getting ready to retire. He was browsing ads and found one decently priced, through a private seller.

He went, and liked what he saw, and asked if he would be able to put a 2000$ deposit on the trailer, and they accepted.

The next day, the owner called and said "Oh, by the way, we have a lien on the trailer." My dad said that was fine, and he would give them the other 10,000$ to complete the fee, and the 12,000$ should easily cover the rest that they owe on it. The owner replied "Oh, well, we don't want to pay the lien off with the money, we want to do home renovations." My dad said that he was no longer interested in the deal, since he thought obviously that they were trying to screw him over. The women said she would send him a 2000$ cheque in the mail as soon as possible.

A week later, a letter arrived, saying that their lawyer does not think they should give the 2000$ back because my father did not do a lien check before he made a deposit for them to hold the trailer for him.

Is there any way for my dad to get his money back? This sounds a little fishy to me. It sounds like they are trying to sell something that they do not eve own.