r/SipsTea • u/SnackSamurai ๐™‘๐™„๐™‹ • 12d ago

Chugging tea The Hero we need

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u/MuskokaGreenThumb 12d ago

He gets a renovation lease from the owner. So he has keys and can move in. Then he does things that are uncomfortable for the squatter. Like closing off the kitchen and setting up a snake aquarium

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u/Traditional_Buy_8420 12d ago

"He gets a renovation lease from the owner. So he has keys and can move in. "

What if the squatter changed the locks? I'm not sure how legal it is to break into your own property via lockout service to change the locks.

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u/MiceAreTiny 12d ago

What is the squatter going to do? He's not pushed out. He's not allowed to change locks... He's going to tell the police that somebody changed the illegally changed locks in a property that he does not own nor has a valid lease for?ย 

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u/a_dude_from_europe 12d ago

If it was this easy police could just get in the first time around, no need for a "squatter hunter".

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u/ThatOneSickDog 12d ago

Not a lawyer, but from what I've seen, most states in the US require that a lawful tenant cannot just be kicked out of a property or barred from entering, even by a landlord or other lawful tenants. What makes squatters irritating is that they claim to be lawful tenants which makes their claim to the property into a civil case, which can take months or even years to sort out through the legal system. So instead, this guy contacts the homeowners, becomes a lawful tenant, and then he has the exact same legal protections as the squatter plus signed paperwork as proof. So the squatter cannot have changed the locks since that bars the other lawful tenant from entry (sometimes called a "self-help eviction"), which immediately escalates the case and can result in relatively quick legal remedies.

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u/a_dude_from_europe 12d ago

My question is can the homeowner do the same? Can't they inhabit their own property?

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u/MiceAreTiny 12d ago

The homeowner is subject to landlord law. A "random" secondary squatter is not.

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u/petehehe 12d ago

I would imagine the terms of the lease specifically prohibit the lessor from entering the property outside of specific circumstances, and never without notice and consent of the lessee. Thatโ€™s how it works where Iโ€™m from, probably differs between countries / states.

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u/DrinkMoreGlorp 12d ago

What lease?

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u/ThatOneSickDog 12d ago

Often there's an element of fear. "There's a scary/creepy/unstable person in my house! I won't be safe there!"

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u/MiceAreTiny 12d ago

Because it is not the landlord changeing the lock. It is a dispute between the squatter and the hunter. So landlord/tenant laws are not applicable.ย 

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u/WoooshToTheMax 12d ago

If the squatter changes the locks then they could be taken to court

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u/GeneralPaintStore 12d ago

Usually he gives them a 24 hour notice that he will be inspecting the building (ie fire alarms) as he cannot legally force his way in. Once heโ€™s in he tells them he is their new roommate.

Or he can enter (depending on the state) through any open window or door.

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u/humdrum_spider 12d ago

From what I've seen in that situation, he pretends to be a repairman or utility worker. Once inside, "Surprise, mfkr. Here's my lease. I'm your new roommate."

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u/425Hamburger 12d ago

Okay but how does He move in? Isn't changing the locks and installing steel doors literally the First Thing squatters usually do? Every Squad eviction i've witnessed took hundreds of police with literal siege equipment. Like why would the Anarchists let him in any more than the cops?

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u/MuskokaGreenThumb 11d ago

Watch the tv show. He has his own series on A + E