Dealing with squatters in one of your properties?
That can be quite the headache.
While squatting is illegal in the U.S., there is also such a thing known as ‘Squatter Rights’ that allow squatters to acquire ownership of a property if they live on it long enough without being evicted.
That’s why it’s so important for property owners to evict squatters in Northern Kentucky as quickly as possible.
Here’s our guide on how to do that.
Want to sell your property with squatters in it? Give us a call at (859) 712-1020 and we’ll purchase your property as-is for a fair cash price. You don’t even need to evict the squatters. We’ll take care of it for you. We can close in as little as two weeks!
What is a squatter?
Let’s start with a quick definition.
A squatter is someone who stays on your property illegally and against your (the owner’s) will and sometimes without the owner’s knowledge.
If the squatter occupies your property for a certain period of time, they might even be able to acquire ownership of it. That’s why it’s important to evict them as quickly as possible.
But you must go through the proper legal process to do so.
To be clear, squatting is different than trespassing (even though they probably sound like the same thing)…
Trespassing — A trespasser enters your property with the intent of vandalism, thievery, or harming someone, not with the intent of occupying your home. Trespassers can be handled usually with a call to the police.
Squatting — Squatting falls under a different set of laws and must be dealt with accordingly. Squatters have rights and to get them evicted, you’ll need to follow the proper process.
Now let’s walk through the steps to get rid of squatters in Northern Kentucky.
Step 1. Prevent Squatting
The first thing every property owner should try to do is prevent people from squatting on their property in the first place.
How do you do that?
If you live near your property, get in the habit of checking on it at least once a month. If you’re an out-of-state owner, make friends with the neighbors so that they’ll inform you if they see squatters on your property.
Keep the windows and doors property closed and locked. Put up “No Trespassing” signs. Thoroughly screen your tenants to ensure they don’t become squatters.
Ultimately, the more that you check on your property and the less time that your property spends being vacant, the better the chances that people won’t squat on your property.
This won’t help if you’ve already got squatters on your property — but it’s important to keep in mind for any properties you have that don’t currently have squatters.
Step 2. Act Fast!
The first tip is to jump into action the moment that you find out your property has squatters.
As we mentioned above, you’ve got to act fast if you’ve got squatters on your property in Northern Kentucky.
Something called “adverse possession” allows squatters the right to acquire ownership of your property if they stay on it long enough without legal repercussions — usually between five and ten years.
Seems crazy?
Well, the legal assumption if a squatter stays on your property for that long is that you’re not taking care of your own property.
So act fast to avoid that happening.
Step 3. Evict The Squatter
Obviously, we want to evict the squatter.
But you can’t just do that by taking a gun to the property and threatening the squatters to get off your property (remember the legal distinction between squatting and trespassing!).
You’ve got to go through the proper legal process.
So once you find out that you’ve got a squatter on your property, that’s the next step: eviction.
But keep in mind, this process could take a couple of months and cost a few thousand dollars. Here’s how it works.
1. Call The Police
The first thing you should do is call the nearest police department and notify them that you’ve got squatters on your property. They might drop by and try to talk the squatters into leaving the property. And they will create a police report that will prove you’re working through the process to remove the squatters from the property — that’ll be useful if you have to go to court.
But don’t turn off the utilities or change the locks until the eviction process is complete. That could end up violating squatter rights and getting you into trouble during the eviction process.
2. Serve The Squatters With an Eviction Notice
If the police were unsuccessful in getting the squatters to leave your property, then you’ll want to serve a formal eviction notice.
You can either do this yourself or work with an eviction attorney. Once you serve this notice, there’s a good chance that the squatters will leave of their own volition.
3. File a Lawsuit
If the squatter still refuses to leave after being served an eviction notice, then you’ll need to file a lawsuit. Find a real estate attorney who specializes in evictions and hire them to help you through this process — because it can be quite complicated and tricky.
Once you win the lawsuit, law enforcement will help you remove the squatters from the property.
But keep in mind that this process can take a few months.
Final Thoughts
There you have it.
You can get rid of squatters in Northern Kentucky using the process above.
Or if you want to skip to the chase, you can sell your property to us as-is for a fair cash price and we’ll deal with the squatters once we own the property. Give us a call at (859) 712-1020 to learn more!