PropertyGTFO was created out of necessity after we were INCORRECTLY informed by law enforcement a situation we had was a "civil matter" and not a criminal trespass involving an Unauthorized Occupant (UO)
It all started innocuously when the former tenant opted to relocate to live with family, thus vacating our property. Unbeknownst to us, however, they had extended family members residing with them at the time.
After our tenant relinquished possession of the property, their extended family members mistakenly believed they had the right to remain. These individuals were not listed as tenants, unfamiliar to us, and we had never encountered them before. Nonetheless, they asserted a perceived entitlement to occupy the premises as UO’s.
We secured the property multiple times after the Unauthorized Occupants broke in multiple times and were removed by law enforcement.
At a certain juncture, they managed to obtain a state-issued ID card using our address, prompting law enforcement to categorize the issue as a ‘civil matter.’ Even our council wrongly agreed so we believed resorting to the judicial system would swiftly resolve the situation. Regrettably, this was not the case. During this delay, the unauthorized occupants systematically vandalized a five-bedroom residence, stripping it of every fixture, pipe, and wire, as well as any salvageable items.
We eventually regained possession at a substantial cost which included repairs, lost rental income, legal expenses, and the necessity of hiring armed security to safeguard the property post-recovery. These costs collectively exceeded $100,000. This ordeal proved to be a costly and profound lesson, prompting us to reconsider this methodology and avoid similar approaches in the future.
