Squatters’ Rights: What Lawyers Want Landlords to Know

Episode #216 Squatters' rights have been a serious subject of debate over the past few years. It seems that more and more investors and even one-off landlords are dealing with squatters staying in their homes, whether they’ve had a lease in the past or not. This puts landlords in a strange predicament: try to get squatters out the legal way or offer unconventional incentives to entice the squatters to leave on their own accord. But how can a landlord prevent squatters from getting inside in the first place? Denise Medina and Patrick MacQueen, attorneys based in Detroit and Phoenix, are here to share exactly what a landlord must know about squatters’ rights and how to get a squatter out of your property legally. With new squatter laws taking effect in states like Florida, it seems that landlords and local governments have had enough. However, squatters’ rights remain strong in many other areas, such as James Dainard’s own Seattle, Washington. So what can landlords from either coast do to get squatters out? We’ll break down where squatters’ rights even came from, how landlords can get the legal upper hand and get a squatter OUT of their property, the exact steps a landlord should take, the prevention methods to stop squatting in the first place, and how James deals with squatters frequently without ever having to go to court! ~~~~ Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?... ~~~~ Listen to The “On The Market” Podcast Wherever You Listen to Podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/OTM ~~~~ Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise: https://www.fundrise.com/bpmarket ~~~~ Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch ~~~~ Find Investor-Friendly Lenders: http://biggerpockets.com/findlenders ~~~~ Property Manager Finder: biggerpockets.com/findapm ~~~~ Learn to Be a Landlord with the BiggerPockets Bootcamps: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/re... ~~~~ Real Estate Rookie Podcast 360 - Trespassers Took Over My Property! (How to Get Rid of Squatters ASAP): https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/ro... ~~~~ BiggerPockets Real Estate 390 - 7 Figures From ONE Deal With Leka Devatha: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/bi... ~~~~ Connect with Denise: https://www.thefgfirm.law/attorneys/d... ~~~~ Connect with Patrick: www.medalistlegal.com ~~~~ Connect with Dave and Our Panel of Expert Guests: Dave Meyer: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/d... Henry Washington: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/h... James Dainard: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/j... Kathy Fettke: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/k... ~~~~ Follow Dave and Our Guests on Instagram: Dave: @thedatadeli or   / thedatadeli   Henry: @thehenrywashington or   / thehenrywashington   James: @jdainflips or   / jdainflips   Kathy: @kathyfettke or   / kathyfettke   BiggerPockets: @biggerpockets or   / biggerpockets   Show notes at: https://link.chtbl.com/OTM 00:00 Intro 02:17 "Squatting" Explained 06:00 A Rise in Squatters? 10:05 Squatters' Rights 18:44 What Landlords Can Do 25:45 Tips for Landlords 27:41 How Squatting is Changing 32:29 Cash for Keys