This Bankrate article outlines true tales of squatters moving into vacant homes – and the legal struggles the owners faced in getting them out again.
When I’ve written letters for agents and investors to use in urging people to get homes sold rather than leaving them vacant, I’ve pointed out that they can become magnets for both 2-legged and 4-legged invaders. But I was thinking more of kids using houses for parties, and druggies or even homeless people moving in until they were discovered. Vacant houses can also fall victim to thieves to pull the copper wiring and take anything else that can be sold.
But in these cases, the squatters moved in with all their furniture and refused to get out!
It seems that once a squatter “establishes residence” they’re not considered trespassers, and it takes a civil lawsuit to remove them. Meanwhile, some of them do some pretty expensive damage.
Read the stories… and then add one more item to your list of persuasive reasons why the owners of vacant homes should get them sold as soon as possible.
