Dealing with Squatters

I understand the need for tenant protection laws, though in the aggregate I think they may go too far. In these type of squatter situations, they are clearly not working as intended at all.

I'm struggling to understand what type of fake lease is being created that is holding up in court.

Supposing there is some creative and compelling contract creation going on by these criminals, could this create a whole set of issues in residential contract law? You present this to any sane person and you'll be universally met by a WTAH?!? - yet here we are with courts allowing the squatters to stay? Something is clearly broken.

 

As a home owner that would make me damn near homicidal if some asshole was trying to live in my home rent free for as long as they want to and I had no recourse.

 

Thanks for the advice. My office has cameras in the back. Very secure office but we catch people napping on the benches and having a smoke or drink at 2:30 am at times. Not a big deal if they aren't making a mess. Usually it is someone walking home from a bar. I'll put up signs just in case. I've watched them on camera drinking a beer, laying on the bench and then leaving. No big deal.

 

Check with your local law enforcement office. At least in my area you have to enter into a written enforcement agreement with the law enforcement agency in addition to posting signs.

 

I suspect that most people don’t realize that in Florida you can’t just tell the unwanted guest to leave. I have had the experience.

 

You can certainly tell them to leave and if they do, great. You can't physically remove them or leave their stuff in the front yard and change the locks if they refuse.

 

Yeah...these guys are great...seeking asylum lulz.......

TikToker goes viral explaining how illegal immigrants can take advantage of squatting laws | Fox News

 

In the aggregate, the laws only go too far as it pertains to squatters....I have no patience for them whatsoever. As to other issues such as security deposits and wrongful evictions, the laws are absolutely needed for the protection they afford against unscrupulous landlords.

 

I'm pretty sure squatters rights are a pretty ancient concept, rather than a brand new one. The idea of a sort of absolute right to property even in absentia is a pretty new one. Claims to land usually only extended to people who held it and used it. You couldn't walk away from your farm and expect people just to keep off it.

 

I absolutely see the reasons for Tennant protections but the squatter thing as you said seems like it should be criminal and not civil depending on circumstances. I never understood why tow companies who unlawfully tow aren't subject to immediate action under specific circumstances as well. We had a vacant building next to a place I used to work. There were no trespassing signs or no parking signs anywhere in their lot. There was a predatory tow company that would wait for customers to come into our business and then tow them immediately. Grandma's with grandkids, unassuming tourists, etc. The cops always said it was a civil matter when we tried to intervene except for one time when by chance we had a cop on scene in person. When the cop heard the attitude of the tow company on the phone talking to a young stranded couple and saw for himself that there were no markings and that the tow company was unable to make contact with the landlord did he make the tow company return the vehicle.

There are unlawful tows and there are stolen vehicles. Seems to me in certain circumstances a removed vehicle with absolutely no lawful context to tow is a stolen vehicle. What is the threshold for civil vs criminal?

 

I watched some of our hero's videos at lunch. He asserts that the squatting laws are a relic of the days of western expansion and need to updated. His simplisitc solution was to make squatting criminal and leave holdover tenants as civil.

Seems believable and I agree with his basic premise to fix it. I do not know the law around this at all - only that it varies state to state.

 

While I dont think people should just be able to move onto your property just because you are gone or whatever, I do think we have a big problem with vacant property being held and nothing done with it, and a massive homeless problem to contend with where our only solution is kick them out of our dwindling public places, so what do you expect they are going to do or go? I dont like the idea of people having some kind of absolute right just to hold their shoddy property that you cant improve, sell or rent in a reasonable time frame. I dont have a problem with some kind of eminent domain power to "reclaim" properties like that & convert them to something useful.

 

The laws around this have been Fubar forever. Most police have zero civil powers so when it cones up, the myriad of loopholes keeps everyone at bay except the lawyers.

Better call Saul

 

Wr have cameras too and have actually had trespass charged filed based on catching people live. Unfortunately they like to dumpster dive and enter unsecured fence areas etc and often do more than just trespass.

Cameras and signage are an important combo.
I literally have a DA email opened right now, dealing with one such case.

 

I can definitely see that.

 

Good movie …

 

What exactly is a reasonable time frame before I have to turn something (I worked hard and purchessed) over to homeless people to destroy?

Homeless people have a place to go in many cases, but refuse to. I have worked in this field. I have seen it.

Affordable housing is a big issue for those stuck in bad housing/projects etc.

Affordable housing is not the cause of most actual homelessness.

We are wrapping up a personal investment property project this month that took me 7 years to make a full reality. Glad you werent turning it into a homeless shelter.

 

Why stop there? Let’s reclaim any money in your savings account you’ve been hoarding for months. And you haven’t touched that 401k in a couple of decades. Plenty others could use that too.

 

Maybe the state needs an official agency that deals with legal leases and verifies the legitimacy of those leases, so that cops can evict illegal squatters and put an end to this insanity..

 

More bureaucracy Rick?
Florida is a red state...NO.