Forced to live with squatter in my Detroit Boston-Edison house?

**Detwa** · October-14-12, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Looks like there's a bit more info on the story... like perhaps the squatter feels JUSTIFIED to live there, per a report this AM. She claims property was ABANDONED in her video interview with reporter! Owner claims otherwise and feels: "She thinks that this is a program in Detroit to take people's homes and fix them up and then she gets to keep them," Peterson said....

Was this part of the original article or truly updated? It's a mess of an article and vid. which in part suggests that the Tracey Blair was a tenant, or broke in? This is gonna be a long court fight! And no I am not writing her in for president on the ballot!

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/19...use-woman-says

The article says updated, which is what threw me at first too because I read the link when it was posted and I didn't see that. Then when I went back, I read the part about her being a former tenant.

From reading some of the comments posted, it appears that they did know each other previously, and this "squatter" rented the house from her, along with others. Is this a multi-family flat? I couldn't tell, but it seems there were multiple tenants who were all evicted because of the house failing inspection. Then this squatter returned after the house sat empty for whatever amount of time, and she began to fix it up and claim it for herself.

Still bizarre. But at least not as bizarre as we assumed. I still wouldn't be sleeping in there with my baby, and this squatter still has no rights to that house, no matter how lax the owner might have been in taking care of her business.

**Zacha341** · October-14-12, 11:32 AM

Yeah sounds more and more like a soft 'agreement' rental where not real papers are drawn up. This occurs all over the city: people renting from people, in their homes, a room or two and paying as they can, when they can.

I wonder why Patterson purchased such a huge house initially in the first place unless she was planning to live their with someone? I'd not want to be alone in such a huge house in Detroit, where as I've stated before you don't want to do in ISOLATION. Just the utilities alone would wipe you out. And the squatter claims the grass was over grown and what not, so thus abandoned.

A 23K house considered a 'deal' purchase comes out very expensive on many levels. Especially when you have no further resources. And alone!! I would not have done it. Not worth the hassle to 'pioneer' that one alone.

The heating system was the first thing to go out. Yep a common situation...

Originally Posted by Detwa

From reading some of the comments posted, it appears that they did know each other previously, and this "squatter" rented the house from her, along with others. Is this a multi-family flat? I couldn't tell, but it seems there were multiple tenants who were all evicted because of the house failing inspection. Then this squatter returned after the house sat empty for whatever amount of time, and she began to fix it up and claim it for herself.

**softailrider** · October-14-12, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Detwa

The article says updated, which is what threw me at first too because I read the link when it was posted and I didn't see that. Then when I went back, I read the part about her being a former tenant.

From reading some of the comments posted, it appears that they did know each other previously, and this "squatter" rented the house from her, along with others. Is this a multi-family flat? I couldn't tell, but it seems there were multiple tenants who were all evicted because of the house failing inspection. Then this squatter returned after the house sat empty for whatever amount of time, and she began to fix it up and claim it for herself.

Still bizarre. But at least not as bizarre as we assumed. I still wouldn't be sleeping in there with my baby, and this squatter still has no rights to that house, no matter how lax the owner might have been in taking care of her business.

What inspection are you referring to that caused tenants to be evicted? I've had dozens of rental houses in Detroit and can't ever remember getting an inspection for anything I didn't pull a permit for. When I bought house it was never inspected to see if it was up to snuff to be a rental. You don't need city certs to rent out a house, just move the people in. [[as far as I know)

**Zacha341** · October-14-12, 01:48 PM

^^^ An official seeming reason of some kind is referenced in the article. Section 8 would require functioning heating systems for example and would get around to enforcing it eventually. Or maybe it was a 'DTE' reason, that is more common! Maybe a tenant dropped a dime. I dunno.... the whole thing is a mess. I'd never want to be landlord in Detroit unless I really could verify my tenants. And you cannot be weak as a landlord. You'll never collect more than one months rent. No thank you.

**Detwa** · October-14-12, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

What inspection are you referring to that caused tenants to be evicted? I've had dozens of rental houses in Detroit and can't ever remember getting an inspection for anything I didn't pull a permit for. When I bought house it was never inspected to see if it was up to snuff to be a rental. You don't need city certs to rent out a house, just move the people in. [[as far as I know)

Wow, you don't need any kind of rental inspection in Detroit? That's amazing to me! I know you do in Macomb County, you have to pass an inspection and there's some kind of other certification for rentals. One house I rented, the landlord didn't want me to send back his mail because he didn't want the city to know he was renting, because he was going to have to pay some sort of fee and pass an inspection. He did it later, he just didn't want to pay for it upfront.

I know you used to have do this in Pontiac years ago, you couldn't just move people in. That actually sounds dangerous. It's one thing if you want to move into an uncertified home but when you allow others to live there, then you've got a lot of potential liability.

Per your question, I don't know the exact inspections, I was referring to the article and comments made in the section. The article said that Henderson had rented the house to several people and then they were forced to move because of problems with the house's safety. I'm wondering if she bought it, didn't fix it, and just started renting it out. A lot of foreclosures have numerous problems from the previous owners destroying it or stripping it out of anger.

**Zacha341** · October-14-12, 05:47 PM

^^^ You make some compelling points. Clearly the owner was in wayyy over her head. Probably had visions of multiple 'off the books' cash paying renters and sub-renters to pay the bills and live-free-for-repair folk...

Even with a house that big they probably all got on each others nerves seeings as how that building does not appear to be a two-family unit, so sharing goes hay-wire, then the furnace goes out, folks don't want to pay, everyone moves, including her...

Heck... She's lucky the house was not stripped to the marrow behind all of the mess. Not that I justify the woman who is squatting... I am not.

**poobert** · October-15-12, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by Detwa

Wow, you don't need any kind of rental inspection in Detroit? That's amazing to me!

Rental inspections are required in Detroit. Rental properties must be registered with the city as such.

Roommates are different, though. If your homestead is one address [[not a two family) and you rent a room, you don't need an inspection [[aside from your Certificate of Occupancy) or, obviously, rental registration, if you have a roommate.

**softailrider** · October-15-12, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Rental inspections are required in Detroit. Rental properties must be registered with the city as such.

Roommates are different, though. If your homestead is one address [[not a two family) and you rent a room, you don't need an inspection [[aside from your Certificate of Occupancy) or, obviously, rental registration, if you have a roommate.

I'm sure that inspection and registration for rental properties is on the books somewhere. I know a lot of property owners, It's a rule that no one I know follows. When you go to court to evict a tenant the judge never brings anything like that up.