Posted on 08/17/2023 1:13:45 PM PDT by Red Badger
After squatters took over his mother's home, one handyman took the law into his own hands and uncovered a clever way to force them out.
United Handyman Association founder Flash Shelton became the squatter himself.
"I dissected the laws over a weekend. I basically figured out that until there's civil action, the squatters didn't have any rights. So if I could switch places with them, become the squatter myself, I would assume those squatter rights," Shelton said Thursday on "Varney & Co."
After his father died, the family was trying to sell the home but learned squatters had taken over the residence. Squatters are individuals who do not own or rent a property but live there anyway.
Upon calling law enforcement, Shelton learned there was little police could do.
"I called local law enforcement, and as soon as they saw that there was furniture in the house, they said that I had a squatter situation and they had basically no jurisdiction and they couldn't do anything," he said.
Shelton then decided to he could use squatters rights to take back his home. As a precaution, he also had his mother write and notarize a lease.
"I packed up my jeep, drove up there and paced out the joint around 4 a.m. I waited. About 8:00, 8:30 in the morning, three cars pulled out of the driveway and I made entrance to the house. I put up cameras, waited for them to come back," he said.
"They didn't have a lease, so that never came into play. But when they came back, I just laid it out for them, told them that it was all locked up, cameras, and the only way they would get back in the house is if they broke in on camera, and I would prosecute. I told them they had a day to get their stuff out or the furniture was not theirs anymore."
In many cities across the U.S., squatting is becoming a worse problem often due to progressive policies favoring squatters and tenants over landlords.
According to Madison Ventures+ managing director Mitch Roschelle, real estate markets in cities like New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles could face an exacerbated squatter problem.
In New York, squatters are granted rights after just 30 days, which makes it harder to evict. It’s a similar story in Los Angeles, where landlords are often forced to pay just to get rid of tenants who fail to pay. And in Philadelphia, even after a court orders a person out of a home, sheriffs might show up to evict, but end up leaving rather than cause a confrontation.
"The laws are written to protect the tenant, not the landlord," Roschelle told Fox News Digital in June. "The local laws that protect tenants at the expense of landlords have fueled this phenomenon because we've basically said forever it's the landlord's fault, not the tenant's fault if the tenant can't pay rent."
He further warned landlords: "The law is not on your side."
What? The legal owners have no fire insurance?
There shouls be a federal law that squatters and car jackers are allowed to be shot. Both know what they are taking isn’t theirs to take. I’ll wager it wouldn’t take log for either crime to become almost nonexistent.
I know of a couple who, years back, had a couple of Dobermans. They left for a two-week vacation after making arrangements for a dog sitter to feed and exercise the dogs. But, one night, the house got broken into. The police called the couple where they were staying and they had to fly all the way back home to call the dogs off the burglar who had been cornered in the house and not allowed to leave. That was one guy who was actually happy to go to jail.
That’s a whole slew of squatter articles today...
Did I miss that August 17 is National Squatters Day?
No lease.
No rent.
No rental agreement.
How is this a tenant?
This is insane.
We had a friend who had a squatter problem and he took care of it. End of story.
Why can’t the legal owner call the electric and water companies and ask for a temporary shut off starting midnight tonight. Stop garbage pickup temporarily. Request police to drive by my home frequently while I am gone on vacation.
Watch for them to be gone and request locks all changed asap while I am there.
Sometimes "good advise" does not take into account the facts around the situation. Very easy to say. but hard to do if the house is many miles away from home.
I have a house that my mother owned (She passed away about six months ago.). A squatter moved in. Luckily, the house is in the South and a neighbor went by and told them that if they did not leave immediately, he was going to call the police and tell them that drugs were being sold. The squatters left that day. The house is over 600 miles away and we are trying to sell it. It is not in a good neighborhood.
Add Home Title theft to that list.
Sell it to Blackrock,
It is sort of like a common law wife.
if you can’t check in frequently yourself, have a relative or friend or neighbor you know, or hire a person or service to check on it.
I was paid to weekly check on people’s homes as they were out of town a month or more. run the water, check around, some times collect their mail or water plants, pretty simple but it gave them piece of mind, let them know if storm damage, insect issues, etc etc.
people have this trouble in some areas with parcels of land too. squatters can set up a “home” on the land and if owners don’t check for a while, it can cause issue.
I know I’m an old guy, but I really don’t get how this can be allowed.
A proper government could end this in a day.
It’s allowed because it undermines fundamental property rights.
. I told them they had a day to get their stuff out or the furniture was not theirs anymore.”
>>>he let them back in for a day? I’m confused of his tactics and how he won.
“You are disagreeing with an assumption. Just because I wrote one thing about democrats does not imply that I would not write the exact same thing about republicans.”
Well, excuse the F*** out of me.
Squatters?
SSSU
Should be a crime, not a ‘civil matter’..................................
I still like my idea better:
HORNETS NEST........................
You’re going to have things like this when less than 50% of the people are paying all the taxes. The gizmedats will always vote themselves more from the treasury.
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