Trespassers Took Over My Rental! (How to Get Rid of Squatters ASAP)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Episode #360
If there’s anyone who knows how to get rid of squatters, it’s Leka Devatha. Right before MCing the biggest real estate event of the year, BPCon 2023, Leka got a phone call from her property manager with the words no investor EVER wants to hear, “there are trespassers in the property.” What followed was months of legal back and forth, media attention, and some secret agent work from Leka to get these so-called “tenants” OUT of her property. In the end, Leka lost tens of thousands of dollars, but today, she’s going to share how to avoid the same fate.
Squatters know their rights and how long it takes landlords to kick them out of a property, so they come prepared. With everything from fake leases to moving over utilities, claiming the legitimate owners are liars, and doing ANYTHING they can to prove they belong in the house, modern-day squatters could live in your home for years unless you follow the same steps as Leka.
In today’s episode, Leka shares how she got two trespassers out of her house without going through the long, costly, and often unsuccessful eviction process, how she beat the squatters at their own game, and what YOU should do to stop ANY squatter from even THINKING about stealing from you.
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Creative Ways to Get Rid of Squatters: What’s Legal & What’s Not:
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Show notes at: link.chtbl.com/Rookie
00:00 Intro
01:49 $34K in Damage!
04:30 Illegal Trespassers
06:51 Tenant-Friendly Laws
10:38 Fake Leases and Police
16:04 Hiring Attorneys and Tracking Squatters Down
21:03 Cutting Utilities
23:42 Police Raids and Kicking Them Out!
32:33 How to Avoid Squatters
41:08 Get "NO Trespassing!" Signs NOW!
One easy way to get them out immediately, is to move into your property yourself. if you are the owner, it is your right
Squatters are predators and very bold. Thanks for sharing the knowledge of having No Trespassing signs.
Reveal the names/info of the squatters so other landlord can look out for them
Like a database...
I think I would "move in" myself, change the locks and put their stuff out the door.
Law doesn't permit you, as the owner, to do that. BUT, you can give lease to a trusted brash friend and THEY legally can.
There needs to be stronger laws against trespassing and squatters.
Couldn’t agree more
@@lekavishnuhi Leka thank you so much for
Sharing your story. How can I connect with you because I have a similar situation and wanted to speak with you and ask your advice on my next step on solving my issue with my tresspasser.
We had a very bold squatter. Our tenant moved out a 3 weeks early. The property management company failed to inspect the property after the tenant turned in the keys. They waited till the end of the month only to find a squatter there. She had Moved in and already hung pictures on the walls! She presented a false receipt. We got her out, but it was a pain in the butt.
Did you sue and/or release the property management company?
They were totally guilty. Any person who was being questioned that in depth would show proof of the lease they signed.
Amazing how fast these criminal trespassers become lawyers when you evict them..some points
1)You need to find out what their criminal activity has been in the past
if the trespassers have any Violence in their past..you CAN get a Restraining Order and get the cops to enforce that Restraining Order
2)NEVER offer anyone a FT lease at any time..TAW is 30 days max for Notice To Quit
Great information 👍 thanks for shar😢
Laxed laws against squatters is the main reason I haven't invested in a rental property. It's insane that the police will get involved when the spotlight is on them and if you confront the squatters, you are the one who might get arrested.
Yes, how to keep me out of jail b/c I would just clear my house like a Fallujah 04.
Reasonable
Whaoo it's good to know. Thank you for sharing
These people keep doing this because THERE ARE NOT consequences after the Police get them out.
I'm curious about why destruction of private property is not a crime 🤔
You need friends on the police force. It could be somebody is also jealous of you and used their low life associates to cause grief. These creeps no how to use people and play the system. Both rich and poor people can be super creepy like that albeit in slightly different ways. Bottom line, iits an abdolute disregard, lack of care, malicious intent and the goal is to harm you.
There needs to be more consequences...😮😢
Such a Great Show!
Definitely makes you think about Flipping properties vs Being a Landlord!
I feel you. I had the same experienced with the police when someone squatter in my rental during Covid. I’m in CA😔
I've been a small landlord in Kitsap County and Seattle for over 20 years.
"This is a civil matter...." The police told me the same thing, which is odd because how do you file a RCW 59.18 action when everything in RCW 59.18 is couched in the context of a landlord and tenant, and "tenant" is defined by RCW 59.18 as having rights to live on a property "under a rental agreement". Trespassers are not tenants so the entire RCW 59.18 is irrelevant. Regardless, I did successfully evict my squatters by suing my former tenant, who gave them access.
The state of WA has a clear law for police to promptly remove trespassers from a property but they refuse to apply it. RCW 9A.52.105. This is why Leka is spot on when she says this is not civil, it's criminal.
The advice to post "No Trespassing" signs is legitimate. I always scoffed at those signs but I was ignorant, now I know.
"My property manager didn't do a very good job....." This is the problem with PMs, they don't do a very good job at much of anything. The problem is pretty straight forward- to make a professional income they have to manage so many properties they can't give any of them even a fraction of the care and monitoring that an owner would. My conclusion after being a mom and pop landlord is once you get to about 5 properties, you either stop and take care of what you have or you have to quit your job, make this your main profession, and hire employees and grow to a large portfolio. I can't recommend enough to avoid having a PM manage your rental properties. I think you do it yourself, have your own employees that you hire and their job is to closely monitor and manage your properties (and no one else's), or just do something else with your capital.
Like Leka, insurance covered a lot for me, but not nearly all of it and none of the legal costs.
I'm getting out of the business. I've given notice to my last tenants and they'll move out this summer. I understand the economics of appreciation and my "squatter house" is vacant and appreciating as I prepare it for sale, it would make even more money if it were rented, but it's just not worth my personal time. Like Leka says here, you are either on your own or you'll pay tens of thousands of dollars when someone takes over your property. My personal free time is worth more than what I make on rentals. I'm cashing out and starting a different business. My last tenants are devastated as they have been renting well below market for years. They can't even move within the city, they'll be displaced out of the city. I advised them to write to their state legislators with their story and to stop passing these laws making Mom and Pop landlording too risky for anyone to do it anymore. Good luck to renters leasing from corporate landlords.....
Housing Justice Project is one of the worst things to ever happen to Seattle. Their lawyers are not very talented (I've gone up against them personally while helping a friend) but unfortunately they, through brute repetition, have figured out what works (like simply asking for a continuance over and over again because they're "not prepared for the hearing today"). Since they're only mission is to delay evictions and not actually successfully litigate anything, they've become effective. Oddly, once they finally lose a case they completely abandon their clients. My friends' squatters were left in a UHaul van on the street by HJP because once they lost the case, the cash flow for the case runs out (the public taxpayer funded programs they're funded by). Fortunately for me, my personal case was in Kitsap County, nobody showed up for the defendants, and I got a default judgement in about 5 weeks.
Amazing write up! Thank you for taking the time. This is not the easiest way to make money unfortunately!
I hope your tenants move out as you've requested...otherwise you'll be in different kind of stewpot.
get a lawyer on the show to discuss these issues. better yet, several lawyers
Thank you for sharing
The housing nonprofits for renters ate usually there to help renters who legitimately are renters not criminals or squatters. Unfortunately, we also have criminals who go to them and take advantage.
I had someone sign a lease, pay a deposit, pay rent for that month, movin and never pay again. I called an attorney but they recommended i give them a notice but do it properly.
I was just about to hire them but I decided to tell the tenant I had damage in my unit and needed them to move, so I could do work in both units due to damage, offered them their deposit back if they moved out in a few weeks. They didn't do it, so I gave them another notice and said they'd not be getting back their deposit.
God was w/ me because I only lost 1 month's rent, but lesson learned. Go with your gut and don't let bad credit slide, especially w/ out a double deposit. Make sure their income is consistent for past 6 months if self employed, & don't overlook minor criminal offenses for luxury properties if any, etc. 😮
Who they are? in most states, you can check their car's license plate
Interesting interview.
Why can't you wait until they leave, change the locks, and put their stuff at the curb? Let them sue you to stake a claim to your property instead of you needing to sue to reclaim what is rightfully yours. No attorney would take their case and your problem is resolved.
@meritholdingllc123 they lie and create paperwork. They could get a copy of your title with your signature and copy it. My mom had tenants create fake paperwork and change her title to their name. Criminals....
This is helpful but...how do you remove a tenant who stopped paying?
The main reason why I don't want to invest in this state is because of the laws even though it would be ideal to start here since I live here but it's not a make or break.
If your property manager didnt know how to deal with the situation, hopefully you fired them.
Sounds more like a story of property manager failure. The drama of the story seems to have missed that key point.
And…cost of doing business in Seattle.
?professional PM lists million dollar property on CL ???!!
Of course it was from Seattle. Don't have rentals in Blue States. Don't invest in properties to focus on appreciation unless you're flipping properties. The Value of house is like stock value...those values only good when you sell it . Great... just expose the Seattle police for all to see for them to act. This video is more embarassing for law enforcement in that area than anything else.
The Seattle police actually acted on this and got my squatters out. If anything, this is good exposure for them 😊. It’s not embarrassing to talk about how they stepped in and came to my rescue, even though they called it a civil matter at first
We need our Trump back asap!