Heidi Peterson, Detroit Homeowner, Finds Squatter In House

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

32. Another simmilar situation. True story.

A family that I know rents the second and third floors of their three unit house. They lived on the fist floor and walk out basement apartment.

The tenants of their second floor unit moved out, and the landlords needed to fill this apartment fast since they had a few properties and other tenants were moving out as well: causing a downturn in cash flow.

They rented to a single mother and teen daughter. They thought their references were good.

After the first month the new tenant stopped paying rent, and there were strangers coming around at all hours of the night into the early morning. The landlors tried to work out a deal on rent, but the tenant wouldn't pay anything. Apparently these tenants had done this before, but there was nothing that he landlords could do right away. The landlords had a lawyer and he advised against any undocumented meetings with the tenants lest they claimed harassment or abuse of any kind. It took 6 months, a missed court appearance by the tenant and then an eviction notice with sheriffs to present it before the tenants, or squatters if you will, left. They actually beat the eviction notice and sheriffs by an hour. Cowards.

The end story is that the tenants trashed the apartment: holes punched in walls, scratched up doors and they chain smoked until the whole place reeked. They were assholes. It took about 50K in renovations to make the apartment livable again. The landlord took the apartment down to the studs and removed the memory and stink of nicotine.

The point is that some people do this all the time, and others get hurt because of it. Don't take the law into your own hands or you can wind up paying out a lot more than just attorney fees. You could be arrested and sued.