Couple finds stranger living in home after dayslong trip

In a few areas that have very bazaar eviction statutes some owners have come up with very ingenious ways of getting a squatter to leave. One guy gave his guard dogs the run of the house, another played some really strange music, then there was the guy who invited the neighbor in for a party eating and drinking all the squatters provisions. I lean toward vigilante justice but probably not the smartest choice.
 
It actually happened to me in Oxford. I left for a day/overnight in London. When I approached my home in Oxford, I saw my curtains blowing inward, realized someone smashed my window. The person ate my fruitcake, which I hated anyway (so it was in December) and my bedsheets had some blood. The cop said a hand broke the window, as there was blood on the broken glass.

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Nothing was stolen. The person was welcome to the fruitcake. Washed the sheets. A BF boarded up window and Landlord fixed it with new glass the next day or two.
 
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Squatters are like predators looking for unoccupied properties. They seem to find them. But that's all they do. I suspect if they had been gone longer they would've taken it to the next level of theft by fraud.
 
This is a real problem in Spain with holiday homes (vacation homes). If people occupy your home and are staying there, if you come back, you'll get huge problems to get them out. I am not allowed to become political, but I know which government is there. I think that Holly can enlighten us much more on this topic.
 
One of my patients, from the psych. hospital, went back to his childhood home, which had been resold. And it just so happened that the new owners left that day for a two week vacation. When they got back, he was living in the house, but not only that, he was hiring contractors to build an addition on to the place.
 
These squatters stalk vacant homes like a lion hunts prey.

This is why it's so important to make the home look occupied with lights, timers or even noise. Leave a talk radio station on. Also solar lights are good because they don't need power and will come on in the dark.

Also temporarily stop mail, paper and other deliveries.
 
I really believe on having your house alarmed with a company that monitors it for burglary & fire. The key is that you set your alarm every time you leave your house/property no matter if its for a short time or longer.

We were stuck with a house my hubby's sister suddenly moved out of until we could sell it. We had to clean it up & finish a few things inside before we could list it. The house had a monitored burglar/fire system already in it so that was a relief knowing if someone broke in, the police would arrive. We also had vacant house checks on it until it was told.

Two really good neighbors on both sides kept an eye out & would have let us know if they had seen anything out of the ordinary also.
 

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