Squatter's Rights

[Art]

Yes they exist.

Everyone who has a TV has seen the commercials purporting to prevent "home title theft." That is not a problem at all when compared to "squatting."

When I was a kid I remember people joking about "squatter's rights." Apparently its no joke when people move into a house, with or without a dummy lease, when the owners or tenants are gone and then dare the landlord to evict them. I read an article about a New York Rabbi who allowed an elderly woman from his congregation to move in with him temporarlay and then couldn't get her to leave. despite years of expensive legal actions she still occupies his living room.

The above is not an outlier. People have actually resided on property they don't own for months or years, depending on the jurisdiction, with this ruse and when finally forced out move on to the next victim. Considering how firm my own state of Texas is on property rights I figured it would be less of a problem here....well wrong. While not as big a problem as in some areas of the North East and West Coast a squatter can make your life truly miserable anywhere if they can get established. They are an especially big problem for rental companies but private residences can suffer from this as well.

Things that can help your cause include "no trespassing" signs. Keeping the yard in good shape and maintaining the structure of your home so it looks lived in. Cameras and alarm systems are a good idea too, as is having a neighbor watch out for your place. The time to "nip it in the bud" is when the line between breaking and entering and "squatting" is pretty clear. Once a "squatter" is established and the legal fight is on the whole thing can get really unpleasant. If you're going to be gone for any significant length of time cutting off your utilities isn't a bad idea either.

[Allen]

I mentioned before that I inherited a small part of a 20 acre parcel near Houston. The land has no house or other dwellings but does have 3 oil wells on it--only one is still in production. I never saw the place but was told it looked awful. Whoever had if before us had fenced the entire lot. Some of my relatives would visit the place every so many years.

On one visit it was discovered that someone had decided to set up a bunch of honey bee boxes. On another visit it was found that someone had torn down all the fencing so they could "free range" their cattle on the property. Oil companies that had previous leases abandoned pipelines and would not remove them bringing into question: "could we, as property owners be fined by the EPA, Greenpeace or some other gov't outfit" so it was decided to sell the land and keep the mineral rights. It had to be sold fairly cheap due to the wells, the active and the junk pipelines and the ingress/egress of the oil workers to the wells.

We still pay the SAME if not more property taxes now as before due to the mineral extraction and the new owners are paying property tax as well.

Point is, we don't don't have much say over what is ours sometimes. Not only is the gov't not going to help, they will find a way to make money off of you and/or steal your land while charging property tax all the while.

[barretcreek]

Had a deal here someone sold a vacant $$$ lot online owner didn't find out until his HOA dues were returned. Feds involved ASAP. Title company dropped the ball.
Squatter's Rights take 17 years here but there's a couple advertises in the local Nickel "we'll house sit for you. For free!". They use a pseudonym so no one is sure who they are.

[dogtag]

Back in the early seventies in England squatters moved into my
Sister/Brother in law's house while they vere on vacation.
The law said there was nothing they could do, so my Brother in law
went to London's east end and hired six shady characters for (unknown amount)
each plus he paid to hire a big truck. The "thugs" broke in late at night,
loaded the squatters and their crap, drove them to near Stonehenge and dumped them.
Doesn't pay to mess with my Brother in law.

[dogtag]

In the late sixties I had a tenant who wouldn't pay the rent.
After several months I checked with the law and was told all
I could do was to remove the front door. (gotta be kidding ?)
No, that was what they told me. Luckily she moved out but not
before taking all the light bulbs and causing some damage.

[dryheat]

Someone moves into my house and refuses to leave. OOH, that would be fun.
I've kicked in a door in the past. My brother is way more legalize than me and has won a case on his upfront honesty and good research that impressed the judge.
If you steal light bulbs you are destined to be homeless and pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk

[Allen]

If you steal light bulbs you are destined to be homeless and pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk

Full of light bulbs.

[dryheat]

There's a ton of em, know what I mean?

[dogtag]

She forgot the bulb in the oven - I thought she might come back for it, but no.

[Phloating Phlasher]

There's a guy you can pay (quietly) to end it.
He moves in with them squatting on the squatters. He's such a HUGE pain they give up & move out.
Fighting fire with fire

[Allen]

There's a guy you can pay (quietly) to end it.
He moves in with them squatting on the squatters. He's such a HUGE pain they give up & move out.
Fighting fire with fire

Then you have to move HIM out.