Although having squatters on the property is not a common occurrence, it is still possible. It will become a big problem for the landlord because it is difficult to make them leave. Some squatters are displeased tenants who refuse to leave the property and refuse to pay rent.
Its rarity is the problem why landlords do not know how to deal with squatters properly. But do not worry. By the end of this, you will know how to identify squatters, what damages they can do, how to evict them, and how to avoid them. Knowing these things will give you something to help the landlords with.
• Identifying a squatter
The landlord must identify who to consider as a squatter. There are different kinds, but a squatter is someone who stays illegally in a property. Any of these people are considered squatters:
• A person who enters a vacant or abandoned property and starts to live there
• A sublet who continues to stay in the property after the end of his lease
• A person who insists on staying in the property even though it is not named after them
• A tenant who refuses to leave the property but refuses to pay rent either
• Possible damages
The landlord may initially let the tenants overstay and hope that they will leave the property willingly. However, this is not advisable because the tenant may take advantage of the landlord’s passive stance. The longer they stay in the property, the higher the chances that they will gain squatter’s rights. Yes, it is a real thing, and it will delay any chances of evicting them.
The squatters can do damage to a lot of things as they continue to stay. Having them around will also affect the business. There is a possibility that they will cause physical damages to the property, and some valuable items might get stolen.
The landlord will also experience a financial burden because he is not able to receive any rental payment, utility bills will pile up, and evicting squatters is expensive.
• The process to evict a squatter
The most important question is, how can a landlord get rid of them? The eviction process should still be based on the local state laws and the recommended protocol. Always remember that. But commonly, this is how the process goes:
• The landlord should call the police first. They will identify if the person is a squatter or a trespasser. If he is a trespasser, the police will remove the person from the property and treat it as a criminal activity. If the person is a squatter, the landlord should file a case in the civil court.
• The next thing to do is to serve a notice to the squatter. The landlord needs to make sure that the eviction notice includes all the local requirements. If he’s lucky, the squatter will abandon the property. If not, the landlord moves on to the next step.
• The next step is filing a lawsuit against the squatter. The landlord must have sufficient evidence to present during the court hearings.
• After the landlord wins the case, he can ask the local sheriff to have the squatter removed from the property.
• If the squatters left some of their belongings, the landlord must handle it accordingly and correctly. He is not allowed to throw away their belongings immediately.
• Avoiding squatters
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. The only way to avoid these things from happening is to find good tenants. This is where your role as a rental agent becomes most valuable. To do that, you must perform an extensive tenant screening with the applicants. Finding good tenants will contribute to the success of the business because tenants with good character will not stay in the property illegally.
Where can you find good tenants? Well, you have to market the property first. Once the landlord hires you to look for a good tenant, immediately sign up for Padleads if you haven’t already. You can post property listings and even syndicate it to other websites. Through this, you can reach hundreds of potential tenants just waiting for the perfect rental.