Re: Our friends have a caper planned

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@Abrowneyegirl I also do not understand why you think it was "stupid" for them to rent out the old house. It's not your concern.

I don't know where they live nor do I care.

If they have an HOA, there are time limits as to how long you can leave your property empty. There are health/safety reasons for that issue.

This would apply to an empty house even without an HOA.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@Abrowneyegirl

Sorry if this was already mentioned but .... if these people are good friends, and you KNOW this "caper" is actually a criminal act, have you tried to get them to reconsider ... before this goes from bad to worse?
I TRIED in VAIN to talk them out of this whole rental project in the first place. See how that worked...........

No, I have not said "I told you so" but I think it.........

@Abrowneyegirl

??? You didn't answer my question.

You tried to talk them out of the rental project in the first place ... fine. But if you're such a good friend, why haven't you pointed out they would be committing a CRIME and need to consult with a real estate attorney before making matters much worse? What has "I told you so" got to do with the current situation?

WenGirl42 · ‎07-05-2012

This is a great cautionary tale for anyone desiring to invest in real estate (or rely on income from same.) Any investment comes with both reward/return and risk. I certainly have sympathy for the homeowners who are in this awful, frustrating situation. It is quite literally the risk they accepted, though, whether they understood that at the time or not. As with all investments, the wisest course for anyone is not to risk anything they can't afford to lose.

Group 5 minus 1 · ‎03-11-2010

If this is a real story and I am begininng to wonder that anyone would be sooooo foolish,it would make a great episode on "Bull".

mom2four0418 · ‎04-23-2010

I think that the OP's friends are blowing smoke..

“The soul is healed by being with children.”
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Love4cats · ‎03-09-2010

As a landlord I can understand your frustration, BUT please don't do this. There is a legal process you must go through to evict someone. I went through h*ll trying to evict tenant's before I sold my duplex. I got to the point where I let an attorney handle the eviction's. Please get some advice from a lawyer and let them handle it. Most tenant's will leave before it gets to court, but some will not until the sheriff take's them out. It can be a long process.

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
OK, I admit. I love the word caper.
LOOOONG story short.

Friends of ours did a very stupid thing and rented out their old house when they moved to their new home.

Now there is a huge mess, renters are not paying and of course due to COVID you can not evict non-paying renters. So 7 months of no rent. The lease has expired but the renters will not move.

So for the caper:

The plan, when the squatters leave the house (to go to work or whatever) our friends are moving back in. They are literally going to move back in and take over the house they own.
They have a plan and a team at the ready. Move-in, change the locks, remove the renters/squatters' belongings.
When the squatters return our friends are going to claim ignorance
"Who are you? We own this home. We have proof, we pay the mortgage, insurance, and taxes who are you?"

Our friends are going to tell the squatters to take them to court and see if they can get them (the owners) evicted.
Our friends are tired of being the ones to bear all the expenses and are going to reverse the roles.

We figure this will either work and they will be successful or end in a disaster but what do they have to lose?

Group 5 minus 1 · ‎03-11-2010

What if your friends go ahead w/this caper and then the "renters" claim some things are missing?

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@KingstonsMom wrote:
@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
@Love my grandkids wrote:
@Abrowneyegirl This so-called "caper' is highly illegal at this time. This isn't the least bit funny IMO.

They'd better talk to a lawyer before they do this.
They have lawyers in the family who basically said "2 wrongs don't make a right and do not involve me. "

Which is more illegal: not paying rent or utilities for 7 months while living somewhere or taking back your property. They are both in the wrong.

When the squatters started driving a new European SUV that's when my friends lost it I think.
@Abrowneyegirl

Which is more illegal?

Right now the squatters have the current COVID laws behind them and your friends would be in the wrong.

They need to listen to their smart "lawyers in the family" on this one.

Exactly! This isn't a "caper", no matter how cute or clever they think their plan is. It's landlords throwing out tenants at a time when they're legally not allowed to do so. Yes, it's wrong that the tenants haven't paid rent, but this is absolutely the wrong thing to do. It would be an illegal eviction, done in a childish way. Terrible idea.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@qbetzforreal wrote:
@elated wrote:
I have empathy for your friends. We are now living in a different time when the moral and ethical values are not important. Your friends are stuck in a no win situation. Whoever thought this COVID rent idea was a great way to help people must have no clue. Why didn't they just offer compensation to landlords who have suffered during this pandemic. The shutdowns and no way to make a living has made able bodied people into desperate souls. I feel bad for both and hope we can climb out of this hole sooner than later.
Before COVID-19, landlords still could not toss a tenant out without due process. The OP's friends do not want to follow the legal process. People not paying their rent isn't new.

I know people who rented out their property and had an extremely hard time getting tenants out, and this goes back years Anyone who rents out property should familiarize themselves with the law. And abide by it.