Can you imagine someone forcing themselves into your property and then refusing to leave? Can you imagine going to jail for trying to get them out?
Although this may sound ridiculous, in many areas around the country, this is all too real (you can’t make this stuff up).
In this episode we discuss “squatters” – what they are, and what you can (and can’t) do about them.
Video Transcriptgood afternoon my friends hello peeps this is Diana Randall bro your friendly presc pickle pee person that’s us I am the pickle lady he’s the pickle man yes right yes yeah I guess I’m the pickle man a girin or whatever you want call there you go you’re not a girin you can’t know yeah here today to talk to you about squatters squatters yeah this is something that’s happening across the United States so we have to be very careful and um especially a lot of our buyers are coming in they’re buying a second home this should be a little something concerning but don’t worry in Arizona it’s not that uh big of an issue so what a squatter is is someone who for whatever however man they manage they get inside your home and they don’t leave so it could be a tenant you know that’s renting from you and then they stop paying rent and they just stay refuse to leave could be someone who broke into your home and just refuses to lead correct they become squatters and some states protect the rights of squatters it’s pretty scary so if you try to like turn off the electricity or the water to try to get them out force them out some you could go to jail that’s right yeah and so that the laws in these states protect the squatters and you need to know the laws in your area that’s right so it’s very costly too you have to hire attorneys you you know all all kinds of uh it can be a very prolonged legal process to evict people who technically have broken into and taken over your home that you’re paying taxes and a mortgage on but somehow they have all the rights so now that’s it’s state by state now the the state of uh New York has just gone back on this they had very comprehensive squatter rights legislation or whatever uh the governor has stopped that has said hey maybe this plan isn’t working so well yeah um these people are taking over illegally people’s properties that are owned by someone else New York does dumb things from time to time but usually they learn after a while and they fix it uh that’s what they did here I I I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to give rights to people who break into other people’s homes and take them over and take them over but they did uh and then they realize well this isn’t working because you’ve got you know honest people who are losing their homes and their their jobs and you know it destroys your life someone takes your home it can really yeah and this is mostly people who maybe it’s a vacant home or it’s a second home it’s a vacation home or a rental and I mean it can really recre Havoc with your whole life and your finances and everything else so one thing you should know because we have a lot of folks here who move to Prescot and they buy a second home here it will not be tolerated here we do not allow squatters it’s illegal here uh so don’t worry about that don’t fret uh your rights come first if you own it you’re paying taxes you’re paying mortgage uh people cannot illegally move in and take over your home here you you call we’re not going to do it you call the sheriff the sheriff that’s right will remove the people yeah it’s not going to be uh a Year’s prolonged process and people are destroying your property um so anyway we just want to share that because we do have a lot of second home people who come here the people who have a second home uh a rental home that goes unrented for a while or just go on vacation for a couple months yes uh you know that’s when the squatter’s hit and savy they’re very Savvy uh they even have YouTubers out there teaching squatters exactly how to do it that’s right uh they like home towns where there are a lot of second homes yes uh so it’s if if you’re in that situation you could be at risk so you need to know the laws in your local area and you need to protect yourself absolutely Ely so you should know feel safe and secure Arizona we don’t fool around we’re not going to allow it to happen it’s uh we don’t we don’t uh give any rights to squatters um we give the rights to the people paying taxes and paying their mortgage as it should be really makes you wonder it makes me wonder yeah so anyway don’t worry about that if you’re thinking about coming here for a second home or you travel a lot and it’s your main home but you’re gone for a long time um you’ll you’ll be pretty much protected here so anyway we just thought we’d share that with you because we keep hearing about it more and more in other states and it’s it’s pretty scary so hopefully New York will Le you know New York’s example will lead the way other states will do the same that’s right uh but as at this point it’s it’s there’s really a lot of uh uproar going on because a lot of people have been affected by this absolutely so we just wanted to share that with you don’t worry and uh don’t fret in Arizona we got your back okay your tip of the day if you like tips place to go is pickle 411.com that is our free information site whether you’re a buyer seller somewhere in between there’s something there that’s waiting for you that will amaze us down educate and I don’t know illuminate illuminate illuminate illuminate illuminate illuminate is a good one yeah I have a good vocabul send us words and we’ll throw send us words and we’ll throw it in all for nothing too by the way we don’t charge anything we could and we’ve been asked to people call us all the time you should charge yeah the government comes and they try to collect sales tax and we say we don’t charge nope not doing it not doing it 8% is all right my friends we hope this helps you and gives you a little um sense of relief or or comfort knowing that um you’re protected here in the state of Arizona yeah which it might not be where you are now so be careful check it out check it out all right my friends take care and hope you have a wonderful rest of your day bye bye