Squatters Rights

[corktownyuppie]

Corktown, I understand that there are fine points in the law.....but that has no bearing on this kind of behavior.

Police & fire are almost non-existent. The city is crumbling beyond repair even in my kids lifetime, and now you have folks that can pull this kind of shit, and the law doesn't back up the rightful owner in an expedient manner.

And yet all the threads on this site as to how to fix the city go on. As long as what I spoke of above isn't corrected, Detroit will never be fixed.....and that makes me very sad as a place I called home and enjoyed for over half a century, and for many generations before me......since about 1840 to be exact.

I'm not siding with the squatters, quite the opposite, exactly. What I'm saying is that eliminating the squatters is not as simple as we'd like it to be. The law needs to be rewritten, for sure. But it needs to be done bpth quickly and carefully, and being mindful of the resources for enforcement as well as with an eye toward protecting the actual innocents from being screwed over by fraudulent landlords.

[old guy]

I still can't understand, that even if there are squatter's rights, in the city, how do they have the right to remove infrastructure from the home without being criminally prosecuted from doing so?

[Django]

You have a good point old guy. Just cause they squat does not mean they can sell off whats in the house. There should be some legal recourse if a cop would even make it there within the week. No offense to the DPD, we all know they are understaffed and overworked.

Im still for hiring some goons to "peaceably" make it the squatters best option to move out asap.

This situation is pissing me off.

[devman1983]

The people squatting in my house had done roughly a thousand dollars worth of improvements to make it livable. How do I know which improvements they did and which improvements were done already? Do I have a right to keep the improvements the squatter did? In Detroit it doesn't matter. He can take and do whatever he pleases.

I drove by and saw him removing the sink. My friend told me to call 9-1-1, and I just imagined the response if i called. Reminded me of another situation a few months back:

A house near to me was for sale on the tax auction. It had a nice, new privacy fence all the way around it [[it was a corner lot.) The guy across the street decided he wanted the privacy fence so he dug it all out and installed it in his yard. Some people driving by [[who had been bidding on that house) saw the man moving the fence. They called 9-1-1 and the police showed, but they couldn't do anything about it. Everybody had different claims to the house, and the police just backed away from the whole situation.

[GPCharles]

There is no such thing under Michigan law known as "squatter's rights." A squatter is a trespasser, plain and simple.

Michigan does recognize adverse possession and acquiesence, but both require lengthy time periods.

[Kevgoblue]

To an extent there may need to be some type of squatters rights. I can't stand squatters in the sense that this conversation is going, but consider other scenerios.

Lets say your 62 yr old, just retired, "Uncle Joe" decided to move to Florida. Knowing that you, having recently finished school, needed a place to stay he opted to let you stay there rather than selling it for next to nothing. You move in. The neighbors don't recognize you and are peeved that some youngster just helped himself to Uncle Joe's house less than a week after he left. Envisioning what they imagined to pending parties and lack of home maintenance the neighbors quickly call the cops to have you evicted. When they show you cannot provide a lease, much less a deed to the home.

Its not the job of the police to determine if you're there legitimately or simply made up the story of being Uncle Joe's long lost nephew. And even the courts won't hear it, unless someone who has a material interest in the property makes the complaint.

[gumby]

To an extent there may need to be some type of squatters rights. I can't stand squatters in the sense that this conversation is going, but consider other scenerios.

Lets say your 62 yr old, just retired, "Uncle Joe" decided to move to Florida. Knowing that you, having recently finished school, needed a place to stay he opted to let you stay there rather than selling it for next to nothing. You move in. The neighbors don't recognize you and are peeved that some youngster just helped himself to Uncle Joe's house less than a week after he left. Envisioning what they imagined to pending parties and lack of home maintenance the neighbors quickly call the cops to have you evicted. When they show you cannot provide a lease, much less a deed to the home.

Its not the job of the police to determine if you're there legitimately or simply made up the story of being Uncle Joe's long lost nephew. And even the courts won't hear it, unless someone who has a material interest in the property makes the complaint.

I would imagine in this scenario the neighbors would have to provide proof of ownership to have you evicted. You couldn't just have people kicked off other people property. That makes no sense. But if I can prove that I own the house and they have no form of lease or anything I should be able to have them removed from the premesis.

[Jimaz]

Here's a PDF file with a lot of answers to these questions:

“Squatters’” Rights in Detroit: A Legal Analysis

[Honky Tonk]

Here's a PDF file with a lot of answers to these questions:

“Squatters’” Rights in Detroit: A Legal Analysis

Good information, I saved a copy. Thanx.

[narnarnar]

I have read every word of every post in this thread and I am still missing something. If I come home from work and a family has broken into my house and says that they are "living" there as squatters I can do nothing about it but lengthy legal maneuvers? How is this different? I'm not a dumb guy, but I need this explained. Why can't I defend my property from trespass and why wouldn't the cops take my side? Why can't the OP?

[corktownyuppie]

I have read every word of every post in this thread and I am still missing something. If I come home from work and a family has broken into my house and says that they are "living" there as squatters I can do nothing about it but lengthy legal maneuvers? How is this different? I'm not a dumb guy, but I need this explained. Why can't I defend my property from trespass and why wouldn't the cops take my side? Why can't the OP?

Big difference between you and the OP is that in your example, you are coming home to a home you live in. Your furniture is there. The utilities are in your name. Your mail gets delivered there.

OP is dealing with a vacant home he recently purcahsed and people who have occupied it without permission. So when he calls the cops, it's much more complicated for him to demonstrate that the "tenants" are not there with his consent.

[Django]

I had a recent problem with sharing a house with someone. I had the utilities put im my name. We did not get along and I ended up moving out so when I left I shut off the utilities. I didnt know it but the housemate had gone in my room and found my social security number, added himself to my account with DTE so he was able to keep the power and gas on for another two months before I realized I was still being billed. I had to spend hours on the phone straightening it out and getting charges removed.
I would think if the house is yours you should be able to simply call DTE and have the power and gas shut off which would give them good reason to leave.

Lowell, Maybe my word Goons was a little harsh. I know a couple of the biggest property owners in Detroit. They dont go through legal channels to evict a squatter, waiting 90 days and all that crap, they simply get them out gorilla style and they have no problems. What are they going to do [[the squatters) try and sue the owner that would go nowhere the judge would laugh. With a little thought these squatters would be gone. If the law cannot protect your property you have to do it yourself. [[can you believe Django just said that LOL) This kind of BS wouldnt be tolerated in Royal Oak.

[CLAUDE G]

I think you should be able to take a copy of the deed to the property and go to DTE, and the water department and request the utilities to be shut off.

Tell them you are planning on demolishing the house, and have them remove the wire from the pole.

You could do the same with the Gas Company and have them permently cut the main service enterance pipe. Only issue is that it will cost you about $1500 and about 6 weeks have have them come out and put in a new connection.

Then just keep an eye out to see if they hook up illegally, and if they do call and report it to their theft department.

We rented a auto body shop to someone and when the tenant moved out they took our $10,000 paint booth. Called the police and there was not a dam thing they could do, we just sat there as we watched them remove it.

Its always a civil issue with the cops.

[Honky Tonk]

I think you should be able to take a copy of the deed to the property and go to DTE, and the water department and request the utilities to be shut off.

Tell them you are planning on demolishing the house, and have them remove the wire from the pole.

You could do the same with the Gas Company and have them permently cut the main service enterance pipe. Only issue is that it will cost you about $1500 and about 6 weeks have have them come out and put in a new connection.

Then just keep an eye out to see if they hook up illegally, and if they do call and report it to their theft department.

We rented a auto body shop to someone and when the tenant moved out they took our $10,000 paint booth. Called the police and there was not a dam thing they could do, we just sat there as we watched them remove it.

Its always a civil issue with the cops.

OR, you could just buy in a part of town that is actually functional, and tell Detroit you'll be back once they get their act together.

[Django]

Its not too hard to find a water key to shut off the water yourself at the street. I dont think it should be all that hard to make their life a little hellish to the point they will just find another house that can be fixed up and hopefully no civilian owns. If they did call the cops they would most likely say to them, theres nothing they can do, he owns the house and you dont have a lease or deed. Man Up. Your squatters are taking advantage of not only the law in your eyes but the fact that your scared to do something on their level. This is the wild wild Midwest, the laws here in Detroit are mere suggestions for many people. Get this fucknut out of YOUR house NOW, use your evil imagination without getting yourself in danger of course.

I hope you get your house back sooner than later Devman. Its very possible that it will be stripped of any copper. I suggest using flexible Pex tubing to replace it if the time comes [[knock on wood it does not), its much easier to install than sweating copper, wont burst when it gets below zero and has no value at the scrapyard and is cheaper than copper. I dont trust PVC for water supply and its almost as difficult to install as copper.

[Honky Tonk]

Its not too hard to find a water key to shut off the water yourself at the street. I dont think it should be all that hard to make their life a little hellish to the point they will just find another house that can be fixed up and hopefully no civilian owns. If they did call the cops they would most likely say to them, theres nothing they can do, he owns the house and you dont have a lease or deed. Man Up. Your squatters are taking advantage of not only the law in your eyes but the fact that your scared to do something on their level. This is the wild wild Midwest, the laws here in Detroit are mere suggestions for many people. Get this fucknut out of YOUR house NOW, use your evil imagination without getting yourself in danger of course.

I hope you get your house back sooner than later Devman. Its very possible that it will be stripped of any copper. I suggest using flexible Pex tubing to replace it if the time comes [[knock on wood it does not), its much easier to install than sweating copper, wont burst when it gets below zero and has no value at the scrapyard and is cheaper than copper. I dont trust PVC for water supply and its almost as difficult to install as copper.

Just make sure their pitbulls are penned, and they don't own any weapons before you start your assault.

[devman1983]

Like Lowell said in an earlier post, I bought the house for pretty cheap. When I buy a property in Detroit I assume that it has nothing and needs everything. That way, anything still functioning inside the house is a plus. That being said, time is money. I knew that it would take lots of time to evict them so I originally offered them $700 in cash if they would move out.

Unfortunately there is no room for being nice in real estate - especially Detroit real estate. Of course I feel bad that they really have no place to go and that I'm responsible for moving them out of their house, but that's my job.

[DinNC]

Devman, you're not moving them out of their house, your moving them out of your house that's being occupied illegally.

[Wesley Mouch]

If Detroit had any sense, they'd demand reform in the laws relating to tax foreclosure, bank foreclosure, adverse possession and the like in exchange for EFM. These reforms are largely state-level issues that really are significant drains on Detroit.

[Django]

Devman, you're not moving them out of their house, your moving them out of your house that's being occupied illegally.

Hes right, and dont feel bad, theres plenty of houses to squat in that have no owners but the city who could care less. Go take that $700 and find someone to remove them. And get that gas/power turned off and make sure you have a password so that they cant turn it back on, hopefully after they paid te bill for the month. Dont get me wrong, I have sympathy for the poor and squatters but only in houses that are only going to be burned or scrapped out beyond repair, thats your house and your trying to make something of it while they take what they want including the kitchen sink.
I do like the idea of calling the Humane society about the dogs but most likely they will either be put down or the owners will be selling them to little gangsters and they will suffer even more. As terrible as it sounds Id rather them be put down and Im a dog lover to the 10th degree.