Vacant rental homes can very quickly become a source of significant distress. When a tenant moves out and no new occupant is found promptly, these empty properties can attract unwanted attention. The empty spaces may suggest an inviting opportunity for trespassers and squatters to go after the shelter. Without correct oversight, what was once a vibrant home can spiral into an overlooked shell, drawing trouble and causing anxiety for landlords.
What is squatting?
Squatting indicates the unlawful occupation of an uninhabited building or unused land. Put differently, for homeowners, a squatter is someone who occupies your property without your permission. On top of that, this situation also can include former tenants who stay put on the property without paying rent after their lease has expired or been terminated.
Unlawful occupants can negatively impact your rental property and make it stressful to lease to new tenants. To conventionally prevent squatters, it is really important to secure your property. If you do not set up a house near your rental home, make every effort to hire a property management company to monitor the property regularly and handle tenant turnover.
What to do at the first sign of a squatter?
If you notice a squatter on your property, you should immediately contact the police. The longer you just leave a squatter to live there, the harder it will be to evict them later. Courts may interpret your failure to act as a sign of consent, making the eviction process more arduous.
Another potential issue transpires if a squatter manages to turn on utilities at the property in their name. In a lot of areas, doing so can establish legal residency, whereas the squatter occupies your property without your permission. If this ensues, the police may classify the situation as civil rather than criminal.
If the police cannot assist you, the next process is to serve the unlawful occupant with an eviction notice. Simply providing this notice can conventionally encourage the squatter to move out voluntarily. Nevertheless, if they refuse to leave, you may need to file an unlawful detainer lawsuit, which will certainly kick off formal eviction proceedings.
How long this process will go can vary depending on the working capacity of the court system in your state, taking anywhere from two weeks to several months. If, as it happens, you obtain a judgment in your favor from the court, you can then enlist the local sheriff or police to remove the squatter on your behalf.
What to do with a squatter’s leftover property?
When you have successfully evicted your squatters, you need to deal with any personal property they may have left behind. Whether they left willingly or were removed under compulsion, it’s realistic for them to abandon some belongings.
The following steps hang on the laws in your area. In certain states, you may dispose of these items without consequence. Although, in other places, you would probably be required to store their belongings in a storage unit at your own expense. If the squatters do not claim their property and pay you for the storage fees, you may have the right to auction off the items or dispose of them based on local regulations.
Handling squatters can be time-intensive as well as resource-intensive. To elude this, proactive management is vitally key. At Real Property Management Champion, we will efficiently take charge of tenant move-outs and easily fill vacancies. An occupied rental property is both advantageously profitable and free from squatters. For more essential details as to our property management services in Jacksonville, please contact us online or call 910-638-0190.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
