'He Broke Into The House And Sold Everything' — A Chilling Story From Texas About Squatters Inflicting $150,000 Damage

Terri, a homeowner in Texas, hired a repairman from Thumbtack to work on her home. Initially, the repairman performed so well that she rehired him over several months, Terri shared with FoxBusiness. 

However, during a trip to pack up and bring her ill mother back to Texas with her, Terri discovered the repairman had broken into her house, bringing friends and turning the place into a drug den. He also sold all of her large appliances online and hosted a yard sale for everything else.

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"I hired him to come in and do some work for me. He did a fantastic job. I hired him back over several months," she explained. "While I was gone, he broke into the house and made himself at home, as well as multiple other friends, who then turned it into basically a drug den." 

When the squatters took over the property, contacting the police seemed an obvious first step. Unfortunately, the police categorized the case as a civil dispute instead of a criminal matter. They declined to take action on the grounds that it dealt with eviction, which they do not handle despite the man never being a tenant. 

The ordeal took seven months, during which her home suffered over $150,000 in damages. She currently stays with her mother in Florida and works with insurance to begin the home’s repairs. It’s a challenging process, and the length of time required for the eviction and the severity of the damage have created significant financial and logistical hurdles.

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This case is similar to that of a Florida woman, Patti Peeples, who lost thousands of dollars fighting to evict squatters but ultimately inspired the Florida state legislature to pass one of America’s toughest anti-squatting laws.

Patti decided to sell her house and received a great offer, but before the sale closed, a group of squatters moved into the home. They claimed they had a legal right to stay there, just as many other squatters do.

They even presented a fake lease agreement to the police when Patti attempted to remove them. Similarly to Terri’s case, instead of assisting her in evicting the intruders, the police informed Patti that it was a "civil matter" and that they couldn’t force the squatters out without a court order.

To her dismay, the squatters went a step further by inviting friends over to help them vandalize the property before they were eventually evicted. Patti ultimately lost the buyers and had to pay an estimated $40,000 to repair the damage the squatters caused. 

Squatting has become so prevalent in America that property owners now have the option to purchase insurance specifically to protect against squatters. Proper Insurance recently announced it will begin issuing squatters’ policies that cover landlords for up to $10,000 in legal expenses and $20,000 in lost revenue for a $100 annual premium.

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