host invasion

[Lisa723]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Woman-charged-with-staging-home-invasion-to-scare-14400541...

Article reports the host's posting on social media about her plans...

[Helen350]

....I'm so glad the law in the UK has been changed, so that scum who SQUAT in other people's houses, in other words STEAL free housing without paying for it have lost all so-called 'rights', & that squatting is now a crime. And we can call the police & have them evicted! Hurrah!

[Mike1034]

@Helen350Good for the hosts and landlords in UK.

[Helen350]

@Mike1034 Only applies to squatters who break in..... Legal tenants who don't pay or refuse to leave, sadly Do have rights & have to be evicted through the courts, at great expense to the landlord.

[Emilia42]

Isn't this crazy. I was just helping a professional couple yesterday who were relocating to my area (jobs start on Tuesday) and 2 days ago their future landlord calls them and tells them they cannot move in because the current tenant refuses to leave. Unfortunately, there is nothing the landlord can do but start the expensive eviction process and take the tenants to court. Now the couple who is supposed to move in is stranded without a place to live for the time being. 

[Helen350]

@Emilia42 Makes my blood boil...........

[Mike1034]

@Emilia42 @Helen350 This is a typical case where an illegal tenant right is preserved while a legal good tenant right is lost! So is the legal right of a landlord is lost.

[Sean433]

The poor landlord had the right idea but just a horrible approach and delivery. She could have done it so much better.

I once had a friend where he had two separate incidences of squatters. He had the worst luck with renters

The second time it happened, he had enough and was able to get them out the next few days after they declared themselves squatters. How? He quietly hired  "right people" to go in and change the squatters minds if you know what i mean. Of course those people were in no way associated with him and  of course, of course, he was not foolish enough to post his desires or plans on facebook like this lady did.  For $1,000, he saved himself a potential $15,000 in lost revenue from the squatters.

Some may say his approach was unethical, I for one think it was justifiable. Sometimes you can only fight fire with fire... period.

[Paul154]

@Sean433 

Please provide the phone number of your friend's helper. That's a service I would love to have on file.

[Inna22]

Ditto @Paul154. That number is a must have in Chicago with all the landlord tenant laws in favor of tenants @Sean433 

[Sean433]

@Paul154@Inna22 

I am located in Toronto. Just to be clear it is not something I openly recommend, just one strategy used by someone I know 😉

[Alice595]

@Sean433  Once a guest stole my mail, brought a huge exercise machine into the house . I called Airbnb and canceled his reservation one week after he checked in. I refunded his unused one week booking fee. But he did not want to leave. I called Airbnb and asked what I should do. Airbnb told me that I could use whatever method I can use to remove him. 

I called police to force him out. But the police in California really could do nothing. They talked to him and he told police that he originally booked two weeks and Airbnb terminated him and breached the contract. Then police told me that they could do nothing in this case. Your friend definitely is better and more capable than police!

Eventually he stayed for two more nights and left by himself.

[Sean433]

@Alice595 

2nights is not bad but I am sure he left because he did not establish long term tenancy as of yet since he was only there for a week. Also since he was officially cancelled by airbnb and was not a long term tenant, then you definitely had every right to kick him out.

What I would do if I were you is install a smart lock with a keypad. If this ever happens again, wait till he leaves, have a rather large and alpha type male friend move his things outside and change the combo code so he cannot re-enter and have the policy on standby in case he loses his mind when he comes back. 

[Sarah977]

@Sean433  Theft is often quite rampant where I live, as it is in many places where there's a huge dicotomy between the poor and the rich,(or appearing to be rich to the poor). Unfortunately, police corruption is also quite rampant, they are often assumed to be in on the thefts, in so far as looking the other way if they get a share of the take. And the local thieves seem to be watchful, knowing when a new group of tourists has just checked in, and waiting until they see them leave to go out for dinner.

A friend of mine who's quite feisty and had just had his laptop, camera and cell phone stolen out of his house while he was puttering in his garage 10 feet away, and who had also had guests in his rental property broken into, went to the local govt. rep and asked him:

So what if we were to stage a fake "guest check-in"- a taxi arrives with some people posing as tourists, complete with luggage, they go in the house, stay a few hours, then walk out in the evening, heading down to town. But before they arrived, unbeknowst to the thieves, 5 guys with baseball bats have already gone in and are just waiting in there. If a thief enters, can we help him understand the error of his ways?

The govt. rep said "Just as long as you don't tell anyone I said it was okay."

[Annette76]

I’m in the Facebook group where the conversation occurred. I read through it but didn’t comment as there were plenty of opinions from the peanut gallery. There were a few people who said something about having a Nest thermostat for just this reason, if anyone refused to leave they would just turn off the heat/air remotely. Someone else commented that they would just have the power or water turned off. Isn’t that going to get you in trouble as well? Or is this a viable option?