Ad Blocker Detected
Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
We hear it all the time, people referring to their homes as their refuge, a place of safety and comfort. However, imagine if squatters entered your sanctuary and took up residence, refusing to leave despite your best efforts. That’s the unfortunate reality for many homeowners who have become the victims of squatters. These individuals have gone through the legal process, however, have yet to get the squatters out of their homes. The legal system appears to be failing these homeowners, leaving them feeling helpless and frustrated.
While the concept of squatting may seem archaic, it continues to be a problem for many homeowners across the globe. Squatters are individuals who take up residence in a property without the owner’s consent. With the current legal system, it can take several months to evict squatters from a home or property. This leaves a great deal of stress on the homeowner who is left to deal with the situation all alone. Imagine feeling trapped in your own home, living alongside strangers who refuse to leave, and in some cases, the landlords don’t have access to their homes anymore.
Several cities and countries have created laws to protect squatters’ rights regardless of how it impacts the lawful property owner. In some instances, squatters are guaranteed the right to remain in the property if they can show that they have lived there for a certain period with no interference from the original homeowner. This puts property owners in a dilemma because they have few options and limited legal recourse.
On the other side of the coin, many squatters are people who have nowhere else to go. They’ve been left homeless and are forced to find shelter by any means necessary. In some instances, squatters see themselves as defenders of unoccupied properties which are sitting idle for long periods. They feel as though homeowners shouldn’t have the right to own an empty property when so many people are homeless.
Regardless of the reasons, homeowners who have been eyed by squatters feel helpless and at a loss. They’ve invested their hard-earned money into their homes, with either mortgage payments or outright ownership. They expected to have full control over their property and to feel safe within its walls. Some have invested even more by renting out the property, only to have excess people living in the unit. The thought of walking into their home and finding a complete stranger or an additional family living there is disconcerting, to say the least. These genuine property owners are not received with the same degree of sympathy from the legal system, leaving them feeling insecure.
The legal process sometimes reinforces the notion that it is better to be a squatter than a lawful tenant, and this is where some element of frustration comes in. Lawful tenants who have fallen behind on their rent get kicked out quicker than squatters. When landlords commence an eviction proceeding against an offender or a tenant who has fallen behind on rent, the process is snappy and straightforward. This usually means that landlords have to move through the civil court, which can take only two to four weeks. In some countries, landlords can evict tenants promptly if they can prove that they haven’t paid their rent. However, when it comes to squatters, the process usually takes several months, which puts fearless squatters in control.
In conclusion, it is evident that the legal system is lagging when it comes to dealing with squatters. Genuine homeowners who have been landed upon by squatters are left feeling helpless and at a loss. The time and cost of getting a fair remedy can be overwhelming, which leaves some squatter victims to spend funds that they would have utilized for other beneficial schemes. Laws need to be strengthened, and the legal system should work together to aid property owners to get back their homes. It should not take the owner several months or years to recover what is theirs rightfully.
