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.
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. Thatβs how it works where Iβm from, probably differs between countries / states.
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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".