When it comes to unwelcome guests, some Chicago homeowners are finding unexpected ways to deal with the situation.
Take Marco Velazquez, for example. He was gearing up to sell his home in a southern Chicago neighborhood when, rather abruptly, his real estate agent brought some disturbing news: he had squatters.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was like a nightmare,” Velazquez said, recounting his disbelief, as he shared with ABC Chicago.
The squatters, identified as Charmaine C. Powell and her partner Kodaro T. Dorsey, made themselves comfortable in his home and even claimed they were the rightful owners when confronted by the real estate agent.
Interestingly, Powell had recently been arrested for allegedly squatting in another home just a few weeks prior. Charges against her included robbery, forgery, and trespassing.
When Velazquez’s agent and a police officer arrived, the pair presented what they claimed were official mortgage documents, insisting they had every right to be there.
Authorities searched for documentation but couldn’t locate any supporting their claims. Unfortunately, Illinois law limited what they could do in such scenarios. Essentially, unless a homeowner follows a lengthy eviction process, the police can’t simply remove squatters.
However, a new piece of legislation known as SB1563 aims to change that. If a homeowner can prove legitimate ownership, they could have squatters removed immediately. This “Squatter’s Bill” has garnered bipartisan backing.
Velazquez shared his fears with the news, expressing his frustration. “It was alarming when the police said there was nothing they could do; we’d have to go through civil court,” he noted.
He certainly didn’t want to dive into a court battle or face an ongoing struggle over his own property.
In a rather unconventional approach, Velazquez, along with his wife and friends, decided to spend the night in the house, sharing the space with the squatters. “We stayed in the living room, watching the door while they were in one of the bedrooms,” he said. “It was odd, to say the least.”
In the end, after failed negotiations, the squatters demanded $8,000 to leave. Velazquez managed to negotiate a lower sum of $4,300 instead, feeling that paying something was better than the alternative of prolonged squatting. “Honestly, we didn’t want to hand over money, but we’d heard stories of people dealing with squatters for months or even years,” he explained. “I’d always talked about squatters, but I never thought it would happen to me.”
Powell, for her part, maintained her innocence, stating she was “innocent until proven guilty.”
