‘This is stealing’ ; Instagram account lets you squat in metro homes
At first glance, it looks just like another real estate pro hustling to rent homes on social media.
First, squatters of this type are taking advantage of laws intended to protect renters from predatory landlords. Wherever you stand on people appropriating unused property, these laws need to stay in place even if they’re made more specific.
Second, news outlets like this will always quote a “guns and drugs” case and not the mom with three kids seeking employment or homeless vet cases.
Third, with security cams and doorbells being so cheap, there’s no reason why this should be an issue, especially for a large real estate rental company. That alone puts me in “cry me a river” mode. Notice again that the article lists interviews with individual homeowners but is actually profiling the impact on a rental company.
IMO owning an unoccupied house thats off-market, or prohibitively-priced is probably a gambling chip.
IF there are ANY families in the same county that are homeless, it should begin being taxed as a gambling-chip. Sell-it very soon or it may used for a free shelter for however it remains unoccupied by the owner.
I have no issues with raising property taxes on non-owner occupied housing, and having them even higher on unoccupied housing.
Hell, the basic idea behind squatter's laws is that the squatter is actually doing something with the land instead of a derilect landlord.
If a bank isn't immediately selling the foreclosed home, they should lose it.
All good points—did you mean “tiny violin mode”, or have I been misunderstanding that song for a long time?
Could be both: "I will now play 'Cry me a river' on the world's tiniest violin."
You encapsulated this perfectly, thank you. As a side note, speculative ownership of housing is a violent crime and should be punished as such, at least while there are any homeless people anywhere.
squatters of this type are taking advantage of laws intended to protect renters from predatory landlords.
what makes you think that's the intention?
Being from California (and earlier from New York), that’s very much the intention. Both states (and municipal laws in places like LA, SF, and NYC) make the landlords have to jump through a lot of hoops before an eviction can take place, and the tenants can file for protection.
I know that things vary from state to state, but I’ve only been a renter in NY, NJ, and CA. I’ve also successfully sued a landlord for over $100k in damages and expenses.
When I was homeless and super desperate for a roof over my head I'd pull up some real estate app and filter by foreclosures. They were always empty and I never got bothered by anyone. Do gotta be super sneaky in case there's neighbors or something but there was almost always a window unlocked or something.
Put this tip in my back pocket, homelessness can happen to any of us.
Good to know!
Holmes told Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray that he used his life savings to buy a DeKalb County home out of foreclosure eight months ago as a rental property.
Aaaaaaand there goes all my sympathy...
I don't know much about American laws, and I strongly believe that basic housing should not be for-profit.
With those caveats, if a house is empty for such a long time that squatters can claim it (7-20 years according to Google), then I think it's not only okay to claim residence there, I think it's the morally correct thing to do.
Obviously, there are exceptions to anything, but generally speaking, it sounds like society could use more of this.
The 7-20 years you're seeing is probably for adverse posession, which is a step above squatter's rights. If you can show that you've been maintaining the property for that entire time without the landowner stopping you from being there, in some cases you can gain ownership of the property through adverse possession.
Squatter's rights is more about the right to remain where you are as opposed to owning the place. Typically being given similar rights to a tenant.
Adverse Possession often also requires paying taxes on the property.
You googled the wrong thing. You wanna squat, have your mail sent to an empty place, move in. Tell the cops you live there if they show up. Then you can't be touched. The real owner files and pays to have you served eviction papers saying you have to leave in 30 days. Then if still there, it has to go through Court system that the homeowner once again has to file for and can take several more months.
It's an abuse of Tennant protection laws.
i HIGHLY doubt the houses being referenced in the article have been vacant for 7-20 years.
You know who probably won’t have a problem with squatters? People who buy houses to live in them.
Hard to feel bad for a fucking landlord. Get a real job loser.
Hard to feel bad for a fucking landlord. Get a real job loser.
“I don’t have empathy for others who are better off than I am. Work hourly as a W2 like the rest of us instead of using systems, tax codes, and laws in place by the government to generate a better life for yourself while growing society.”
Ah yes, all I have to do is pretend landlords are “growing society” instead of buying up properties with the sole intention of making money off of people who cant for a myriad of reasons out of their control. One of those reason being real estate “investors”.
And what about the squatters? They are doing what you said, using the local systems and laws(squatters rights) to generate a better life for themselves. So it’s fair game right?
while growing society.
fucking lol
It's my opinion that housing is so basic a need that no house should be allowed to use for a gambling chip.
The 'housing market' needs to be broken in favor of individual ownership. (For many, speculation has driven ownership out of reach.)
Only individuals may purchase individual homes, and must agree to occupy them as their primary and only residences until they sell and vacate them. (Live-in landlords included, e.g. boarders.)
As part of the deal, they must first find another individual buyer (under the same terms) for their present home.
(Futher stipluations needed, but none that permit violation of the above principle. )
Also a lot more housing co-ops
I don't think speculation is a big factor, actually. Rentals don't earn money without renters and they don't appreciate nearly fast enough to make up for the lack of income.
In my country at least there's just measurably less houses than there needs to be.
So no vacation homes at all?
And what constitutes an individual? A family unit? Or can you own two houses when you're married, one per adult?
oh yay an easy one
it’s actually not that hard
I felt bad for the dude until I got to the part that it was a rental property.
Not all landlords are scum but enough of them are that everyone in the business is tainted.
Living indoors should be a human right. Charging for shelter should be illegal, same for food and water...
You sound like a goshdarn COMMIE
Gray sent this story to Instagram after it aired and they removed the account for violating the app’s terms of service.
Well, thank goodness making a second account is so hard ...
oh noooo people getting a roof over their head boo hoo
Kind of a problem when someone comes back from active duty and has someone dealing drugs and guns out of their house though.
They aren't playing by the rules so why should we? Buy houses with their family money and sit on them then campaign for stricter zoning laws to keep out competition.
Who are you to say this is the situation they are in and what they are doing? What do you know of their life?
We know they horde resources they don't need while many other struggle to find the bare essentials.
Kinda tells you everything you need to know.
"This is stealing and needs to be looked at that way,” said a property owner
😂
"This is totally not stealing" said the thief
I fucking hate squatters. They are just as bad as these giant companies swooping up all the properties. They are garbage humans mostly
I'd say that a vacant home - any place (lots of them) where the homeless are dying in the streets of hypothermia - is owned by a garbage human.
Not mutually exclusive. If these companies didn't exist, the homes wouldn't be getting built. Someone has to pay for the materials, the labor, inspection, etc.
A hyperbolic dying homeless isn't contributing anything.