Daughter and ex S-I-L (after they moved out) lived with us in the mid teens for a couple of years. Suddenly we started to get mail addressed to his father here, bills and something from a court in another state.

I put a halt to that real quick. No way I wanted his father associated with our address.

So all the burdens that society has heaped upon those evil landlords are starting to slingshot back. And they wonder why nobody wants to invest in rentals, while puzzling over housing shortages.

I never really thought this was a problem until I started seeing stories about it a few months ago. I thought WTH! Property owners have no rights anymore?

In my area there are many deer camps that are vacant for much of the year. I've never heard of any squatters moving in, and I can just imagine what would happen to them if they tried.

This happened down the street from me a few years ago. Some high school drop outs broke into a house that was not occupied but being sold (family relocated on short notice). They broke in, dragged in some furniture picked from road side waiting for large item pick up and set up house keeping. Took months to get rid of them and they were a nightmare in the neighborhood.

Here is what I don't get about the law protecting them. These are the crimes they committed.
- Breaking & Entering
- Theft (took possession of property waiting removal and sold it)
- Trespassing
- Vandalism (damaged walls, floors, doors)

How on EARTH, with that list of crimes committed were they not dragged out of there, arrested, and charged resulting nice accommodations with the county?

Does a thief simply have to sit down in your favorite arm chair after grabbing a beer from your fridge to claim domain over YOUR house? How does this happen?

quote:

Does a thief simply have to sit down in your favorite arm chair after grabbing a beer from your fridge to claim domain over YOUR house? How does this happen?

It was this similar thought that caused me to begin this thread in the first place. I just cannot grasp how this can be permitted.

Don't kid yourself. Lots of people want to invest in rentals. Look at what happened to the investment real estate market right up until the Fed started kicking up interest rates and pulling back on the money supply.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
So all the burdens that society has heaped upon those evil landlords are starting to slingshot back. And they wonder why nobody wants to invest in rentals, while puzzling over housing shortages.

Because LE only gets to know about it well after the fact, usually when the absentee owner finds out. And the squatters know the laws and know the threshold at which LE throws its hands up and declares it a civil issue to be worked out between the two sides claiming control. The barest minimum of paperwork suggesting legal residency is usually enough to back LE off. Think any kind of bills, or really any mail showing the squatter living in the property.

Then it goes into civil "landlord / tenant" court (whatever that's called in any jurisdiction.) And these courts never work quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
This happened down the street from me a few years ago. Some high school drop outs broke into a house that was not occupied but being sold (family relocated on short notice). They broke in, dragged in some furniture picked from road side waiting for large item pick up and set up house keeping. Took months to get rid of them and they were a nightmare in the neighborhood.

Here is what I don't get about the law protecting them. These are the crimes they committed.
- Breaking & Entering
- Theft (took possession of property waiting removal and sold it)
- Trespassing
- Vandalism (damaged walls, floors, doors)

How on EARTH, with that list of crimes committed were they not dragged out of there, arrested, and charged resulting nice accommodations with the county?

Does a thief simply have to sit down in your favorite arm chair after grabbing a beer from your fridge to claim domain over YOUR house? How does this happen?

I own a bunch of rentals so I’m very familiar with the rental scene. People investing in rental derivatives is way different than people building new supply. What’s happened in the last few years is large investors have bought into existing stock. They aren’t increasing supply. However, I’ve spoken to scores and scores of people who say “I’d never be a landlord. It’s way too hard.” Or people have tried to rent out a single house or two only to find out that the law is stacked against them, and they can easily lose everything with a few bad tenants. This is way different that Blackrock buying housing stock with retirement funds. Money flows to where it’s rewarded. Every tenant “protection” law or scheme disincentivizes investment in more rentals.

BTW, all that investment into rentals from the last few years is fleeing the segment, often at a huge loss. Look at the Zillow bloodbath, although that isn’t technically a rental play.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
Don't kid yourself. Lots of people want to invest in rentals. Look at what happened to the investment real estate market right up until the Fed started kicking up interest rates and pulling back on the money supply.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
So all the burdens that society has heaped upon those evil landlords are starting to slingshot back. And they wonder why nobody wants to invest in rentals, while puzzling over housing shortages.

quote:

The barest minimum of paperwork suggesting legal residency is usually enough to back LE off. Think any kind of bills, or really any mail showing the squatter living in the property.

Here lies the problem.
Like I have said earlier we don’t play those nonsense games here.

Deed or Lease.
Don’t care if you get mail, have paid bills, even if deed/lease holder says yup they have lived here for 10 years, today I want them out. It is goodbye and good day if they are not on either of those 2 documents.

Someone tried an “established residence” because they had clothes and mail. County attorneys said no and the judges agreed. A simple lease is easy enough to draft that it or a deed is the only official establishment of residence.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Might be different in Texas.

Yeah, I was right. “Tamisha Holmes-Bey”

“Squatters who had moved into a Texas area home and changed the locks on the property's owners have been booted out after local media and police investigated. …”

DailyMail article:
TX squatters booted out of property after forging lease
https://mol.im/a/11913211

What a nice guy!

I would not be so nice. I would cease all gentlemanly behavior.

I like the preparation, a written rental/lease agreement documenting lawful occupancy and possession of the property. Good fall-back position in the event of legal ugliness.

I would prefer to have a few of my good friends as my new roommates assisting me in moving into our new home, and ready to testify in court about our mutual surprise at finding a burglary in progress upon our arrival at our new domicile. Maybe we would all be able to maintain a straight face while delivering our story lines.

Lawyer on speed-dial, for sure. Bail bondsman on standby.

quote:

Originally posted by LoboGunLeather:
What a nice guy!

I would not be so nice. I would cease all gentlemanly behavior.

I like the preparation, a written rental/lease agreement documenting lawful occupancy and possession of the property. Good fall-back position in the event of legal ugliness.

I would prefer to have a few of my good friends as my new roommates assisting me in moving into our new home, and ready to testify in court about our mutual surprise at finding a burglary in progress upon our arrival at our new domicile. Maybe we would all be able to maintain a straight face while delivering our story lines.

Lawyer on speed-dial, for sure. Bail bondsman on standby.

This guy gets it.

quote:

I would not be so nice. I would cease all gentlemanly behavior.

Yup. Anyone attempting to steal my property without a legitimate piece of evidence that I entered into an agreement with them is no doubt the type that has trouble with stairs, clumsiness around open doors, etc. I’m too old and have worked too hard for my life to have some turd occupy it. Thieves get no sympathy around these parts.

Ain't it grand:

New York gives squatters rights after 30 days. WTF? I imagine shitstains are watching the obituaries for people who are survived by people out of town and moving in right after the funeral.

This woman's Mom died and squatters moved into the Queen's home. The woman (i.e. not the squatter) was taken away in handcuffs for changing the locks.

quote:

Queens 'squatters' flee in disgrace after being confronted at house where homeowner was arrested - but one 'legal' tenant is staying (and wants his deposit back!)

Two of the three 'squatters' who were caught red-handed in a Queens woman's home fled in disgrace today after being confronted by the media.

The unnamed man and woman covered their faces with hoodies today as they fled the home in Flushing, refusing to answer questions on their way out.

The house is owned by Adele Andaloro, a mother who inherited the property from her parents.

Earlier this week, Andaloro was put in handcuffs after a tense standoff at the house.

She'd shown up to find multiple squatters who refused to move. Despite owning the house, she was put in handcuffs and taken away.
{More in link}

This rectal wart created a "how to" TikTok video urging illegal immigrants to become squatters.

quote:

TikTokker tells illegal immigrants how to 'invade' American homes

A TikTok influencer is advising illegal immigrants on how to 'invade' American homes and invoke squatter's rights, making it difficult for them to be removed from properties. Leonel Moreno , who goes by @leitooficial_25 online and appears to be a Venezuelan migrant, has told undocumented immigrants that under US law, 'if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it'. He is referring to squatter's rights, or adverse possession laws - a common law principle that allows an illegal inhabitant to acquire ownership of a property based on continuous occupation without the legal owner's consent.

Well if you can't move them out you could always have a fire, or a bulldozer/excavator run into it.

Crazy stuff, heres the news story that started the new law DeSantis signed which is designed to stop squatters and get them out. Frankly it should have been the law from day one, but advocates for renters, the COVID free rent programs all contribute to this.

Watch how the squatter treats the homeowner, the bully tactics, then the lies about being a victim of a rental scam, they have the pitter patter down on how to do this.

Squatting needs to be changed from a civil issue to a criminal issue, in fact it really is, but law enforcement in many states are fearful of retribution for doing the job of removing the trespassers, which is what they are.

And yes they look for elderly deceased people, check the tax rolls see if there is a home owned by the deceased and move right in, since estates can take 3, 6, 12 months or longer in some cases they could live there for a long time before there is a legal appointed executor that can take action.

squatters have no rights

none

they're intruders - treat them as such

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Someone breaks into my house while I’m gone and tries to steal it they’d be gone the next day, guaranteed.

Never to be seen again.

I'd turn the house into a temporary kill house and clear it. With rubber bullets of course.

quote:

Originally posted by TomS:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Someone breaks into my house while I’m gone and tries to steal it they’d be gone the next day, guaranteed.

Never to be seen again.

Y'all got that right!

Nadia Vitels, 52, who was found stuffed in duffel bag in her Manhattan apartment was 'killed by two SQUATTERS who beat her to death' as cops hunt male and female suspects

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 00:53 EDT, 22 March 2024 | UPDATED: 02:37 EDT, 22 March 2024

Police have revealed that the mother found murdered and stuffed into a duffel bag at her New York City apartment were a pair of squatters who beat the woman to death.

Nadia Vitels, 52, was found dead in the East 31st Street apartment in Manhattan's Kips Bay on March 14 after her family called the building superintendent to do a wellness check.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide on Friday after an autopsy ruled she died from multiple facial fractures, a brain bleed, two broken ribs and blunt-force trauma to the head.

Now, NYPD Chief of Detectives says the suspects - already believed to be a black male and a black female both in their 20s - were squatting in Vitels' apartment.

'We believe that some squatters took the apartment over and this woman came home … and walked in on the squatters that were there,' Kenny said.

The two suspects were spotted driving off in Vitels Lexus SUV around the time they believe she died and even caught on surveillance footage which has not yet been released to the public.

Kenny added that the unique design of the 'upscale apartment' meant they may have been able to hide from Vitels for some time.

'The apartment itself is very unique in that there's no front door to apartment. You take an elevator up and then you key your way in. The elevator is actually your front door,' Kenny told the New York Post.

Michael Medvedev, Vitels' son, made the grisly discovery of his mother's corpse upon return alongside the building's superintendent Jean Pompee, who has lived in there for 22 years, after Vitels had not been seen for 48 hours.

'As they're getting ready to leave, the son opens up the closet door near the front door and discovers the duffel bag with a foot sticking out,' Kenny said.

While the suspects - one of whom has a prior arrest - remain on the lam after swiping Vitels' car as of Thursday night, police believe they're on the right track.

'As of right now, we have probable cause, we have two subjects, we have the Regional Fugitive Task Force actively hunting as we speak,' Kenny said.

The couple are believed to have driven across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey before crashing Vitels' SUV in Pennsylvania's Lower Paxton Township.

NYPD officials did not received the plate numbers on the car until the next day but they know that the squatters immediately tried to spend $1,000 on a replacement vehicle.

Medvedev remembered his mother as a smart, beautiful and adventurous woman during her funeral at Gutterman's Funeral Home in Woodbury on Monday.

'I remember she showed me a gold medal she had earned in high school back in Russia, a student medal of honor for being top in her class. That medal, for some reason, has always stuck with me. It made me feel proud to be her son and I wanted to earn my gold medals to live up to her,' said Medvedev.

He said his mother had moved to the United States from Russia to attend college in Oklahoma and play tennis, then moved to Miami for graduate school.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Vitels was a marketing professional who worked at Canon, Nokia and tennis star Maria Sharapova's candy line, Sugarpova.

New York City Police Department officers were seen hauling out several bags of the victim's items, including three suitcases and bags of her clothes out of the building last week.

Her family told Medvedev they hadn't heard from her in a few days so he went to up her apartment to check on her and saw signs something was wrong.

Medvedev said his mother loved her dog and she had adopted the pup while going through a hard time in her life, caring for her sick parents.

'He became her next obsession, her best friend, her man. He was the only man she needed,' the son said at her funeral.

'This little puppy gave her the love she needed to get through the hardest time in her life.'

Pompee discovered her dog urinated all over the floor because it had been unaccompanied which was very unusual.

'They found a bag in the closet and said, 'I believe there is a body in here.' I kind of sensed something was wrong, it kind of looked suspicious,' Pompee said.

He added that he saw signs of struggle in the apartment as the breaker panel, which he believes is electric, was left damaged.

Vitels' concerned family members then called the Fire Department who arrived on the scene quickly.

'The fire department opened the bag and discovered her body,' Pompee added. 'I didn't peek and see the body myself, they just said there was a body in there and called the police. It was in the closet by the entrance to the door.

'It was in a little type of bag you zipped up, a soft case type. I felt bad, you never want to hear anyone is killed or murdered.'

The superintendent confirmed there was another name on the lease of the apartment Vitels was in and said had only met that person once and forgot what they looked like.

'Apparently she [Vitels] was subletting. I didn't know she was going to be moving in,' he added.

Vitels had reportedly moved into the apartment just days before her death and Medvedev said his mother was looking forward to starting this next chapter in her life.

'Getting ready to move to New York City where she would conquer the world. She was so excited to move into the city,' he said.