What is squatting?
Squatting means the unlawful occupation of an uninhabited building or unused land. Clearly and briefly, for homeowners, a squatter is someone who occupies your property without your permission. Furthermore, this situation can imply former tenants who continue living 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 hard to lease to new tenants. To practically prevent squatters, it is very important to secure your property. If you do not remain near your rental home, explore hiring 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 entitle a squatter to reside, 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 taxing and complex.
Another potential issue begins if a squatter manages to turn on utilities at the property in their name. In various areas, doing so can establish legal residency, conceding that the squatter occupies your property without your permission. If this sadly occurs, the police may classify the situation as civil rather than criminal.
If the police cannot assist you, the next step is to serve the unlawful occupant with an eviction notice. Just merely providing this notice can generally encourage the squatter to move out voluntarily. In any event, if they refuse to leave, you may need to file an unlawful detainer lawsuit, which will kick off formal eviction proceedings.
The whole duration of this process can vary depending on the efficiency of the court system in your state, taking anywhere from two weeks to several months. As you earn a judgment in your favor from the court, you can enlist the local sheriff or police to remove the squatter on your behalf.
What to do with a squatter’s leftover property?
In case you have successfully evicted your squatters, you’ll be compelled to address and rectify any personal property they may have left behind. Whether they left of their own accord or were roughly removed, it’s possible for them to abandon some belongings.
The following steps depend largely on the laws in your area. In different states, you may dispose of these items without consequence. On the other hand, in other places, you will quite possibly be required to store their belongings in a storage unit at your own expense. If the squatters do not claim their property and make amends with you for the storage fees, you may have the right to auction off the items or dispose of them pursuant to local regulations.
Handling squatters can be cumbersome and resource-intensive. To fend this off, proactive management is the critical key. At Real Property Management of the Rockies, we practically specialize in tenant move-outs and speedily filling vacancies. An occupied rental property is both thriving and free from squatters. For more necessary details regarding our property management services in Cheyenne, please contact us online or call 970-658-0410.