It’s already illegal to live in a home you don’t own, but police in San Francisco say one squatter upped the criminal ante by stealing and selling more than $300,000 worth of paintings from a mansion that’s on the market. [More]
squatters
Man Arrested For Stealing House Moves Back In After Posting Bail
By 11.5.14
If I get arrested for stealing a car, that boosted vehicle probably isn’t waiting outside the police station for me to drive away in when I make bail. But a man in New York City who was recently arrested for stealing a home from its rightful owner was able to move back into the house he’s been accused of taking. [More]
Woman Claims A Stranger Stole Her House Using A Fake Deed, Moved In
By 10.13.14
You can’t pick it up, shove it in your jacket and walk away with it, but a house can still be stolen, it seems. A senior citizen in New York says an ex-convict faked the deed to her family home in Queens and moved in, effectively stealing her house. [More]
AirBNB Squatter’s Kickstarter Backers Revolt After “Would Squat Again” Comment
By 7.28.14
No one can prove with 100% certainty that the person who left a glib comment on the Kickstarter page for the game Confederate Express was Maksym Pashanin, game creator and alleged AirBNB squatter. However, the comment did prompt backers to declare the project a “scam” and demand refunds. [More]
AirBNB Squatter May Be Developer Of Overdue Kickstarter-Funded Game
By 7.25.14
The man occupying a vacation condominium in Palm Springs, California without paying rent was not thrilled that his new landlord planned to cut off the electricity. He said that it would affect his work, which he does from home and earns $1,000 to $7,000 per day. What kind of work? Developing video games, apparently. [More]
Squatter Takes Over $2.5 Million Bank-Owned Home, Bank Of America Doesn’t Seem To Care
By 1.24.13
If you’re going to squat, you might as well squat like a rich dude. Just ask the man in Florida who has been enjoying the mortgage-free life in a $2.5 million, 7,200 sq-ft house, all while the owner — Bank of America — appears to be doing nothing to get him out. [More]
Homeowner Discovers Squatters The Night Before Closing On House Sale
By 11.8.12
A Florida woman says the sale of her childhood home is now in jeopardy after squatters were discovered living in the property on the night before the sale was supposed to close. [More]
Homeowner Has To Share House With Squatter Because Police Can’t Do Anything
By 10.12.12
A couple years back, a woman in Detroit thought it would be a great idea to snap up a house for $23,000, but after a series of unexpected twists, that homeowner and her 1-year-old daughter are now sharing that house with a squatter who refuses to leave because she says she has a lien against the house. [More]
Squatters Push Goodwill's Good Will To Limit With Rooftop Camp
By 8.10.12
Goodwill stores are well regarded as a place to pick up clothes and other items on the cheap, but a group of squatters in California seemed to think Goodwill’s good will extended to free rooftop living. [More]
"I Bought It From Yahweh" Is Not A Good Defense For Squatting In Foreclosed House
By 7.15.10
Here’s a tip to anyone looking to squat in a foreclosed home — People probably won’t believe you if you tell them you purchased the property from Yahweh (aka God, aka Big Man in the Sky). It’s a lesson a Montana man learned this week after being convicted of not only illegally living in a home that wasn’t his, but also trying to use it as collateral for a loan. [More]
