Before working for Rentec Direct, I spent a spell of time buying delapidated homes, fixing them up and selling them. You know, like all of us did in the earlier part of this millenium. Luckily, I never was faced with a squatter on my own properties, as I made it a point to be inside them weekly. However, before that, I worked in property management, and with the hundreds of rentals I managed, every once in a while, we'd end up with someone who had decided to sneak into one of the vacant rentals and setup home. We typically found them after a couple of weeks of breaking an entry and with the help of local police, we convinced them to get out without too much trouble. We had a procedure of inspecting every vacant unit at least once per month as well as calling to verify utilities were in our name monthly until legal occupancy. I required my employees submit weekly records of the verification of these steps and for the most part, I think it helped deter squatters. The times we faced real squatter challenges were when occuppied legal tenants would sneak in their friends and sublet space for their flopping friends. In those instances, we would end up in an eviction battle if they failed to meet the terms of tenancy or qualified as a legit tenant.
In the news last week I watched a story of a Portland home owner who had bought a home to remodel, it had sat vacant for some time and unbeknowst to him, squatters had quietly moved in, changed the locks, set up utilities and refused to vacate when confronted. He now faces court costs and down time and possibly more damages to his home as he works to get legal assistance to reclaim his own home.
In a quick search, I found that there was a website for Portland Squatters... yes, a website dedicated to helping people learn how to squat on land/homes that isn't their own, including tips for searching out forclosures and how to research helpful information with the assessor's office. Unbelieveable! And clever.
Each state and country has it's own laws surrounding Squatter's right but most defer to the process of "adverse possession." In some place, it may involve occupying an abandoned property for a certain period of time and/or paying the property taxes that the property owner failed to pay. In California, for example, you need to pay property tax for 5 years and have "cultivated or improved" the property to receive ownership. Your possession of the premises must generally also be visible and obvious.
Have any of you had an experience with squatters in your rentals or real estate listings? I sure hope not but would love to hear about your experience and what it took to resolve the problem.
Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant screening and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.
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