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 began simply enough when our former tenant decided to move in with family and left the property. What we didn’t know at the time was that they had other family members living with them.
After our tenant moved out, these extended family members mistakenly thought they had the right to stay. They weren’t listed as tenants, we didn’t know them, and we had never met them before. Still, they insisted that they had the right to live there.
We had to secure the property several times after these Unauthorized Occupants broke in. Each time, they were removed by law enforcement.
At one point, the unauthorized occupants were able to get a state-issued ID card using our address, which led law enforcement to classify the situation as a “civil matter.”
Unfortunately, even our attorney agreed with this, so we thought going through the courts would quickly solve the problem. However, this turned out not to be the case.
During the delay, the unauthorized occupants caused extensive damage to the property. They systematically vandalized the five-bedroom house, stripping out every fixture, pipe, wire, and anything else of value.
In the end, we regained control of the property, but it came at a steep cost. We had to pay for repairs, lost rental income, legal fees, and even hire armed security to protect the property after we took it back. All of these expenses totaled over $100,000. This experience was an expensive and eye-opening lesson, making us rethink our approach and avoid similar situations in the future.
