A Philadelphia homeowner said he had to pay $1,200 in eviction fees to squatters who changed the locks and disrupted the property after city officials refused to intervene.
Chris Hart bought the home in northwest Philadelphia, renovated it, and planned to sell it in late 2023.
But on Dec. 8, his real estate agent received a call from a neighbor who reported hearing a commotion coming from the house the night before. Fox News reported.
Neighbors checked on the house and saw people moving into the house and taking down “for sale” signs.
Hart then decided to call the police, who told him that people on the property were trying to change the locks on the house. But they said there was nothing they could do because the squatters claimed they were renting out the land.
Frustrated, Hart, along with his real estate agent and locksmith, met police at the house the next day.
“I had all the paperwork, the sales contract, the homeowner's insurance, the title to the house, everything,” Hart told FOX News Digital.
“They said it didn't matter.”
He claims police told him squatters had rights and that to evict the squatters, Hart would need to file a complaint against the landlord and tenant. , it could cost more than $300 and could take up to a year before a judge orders the squatters to leave.
“Squatters' rights, that's kind of an oxymoron,” Hart said.
“If I went into a store and stole a bottle of water, I'd be caught on camera and taken to jail. But someone could break into my house and change the locks. Does that give you a right?”
Bob Selborn, the real estate agent who was selling the home, said the problem has become a common problem in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Police said they receive three to four similar calls a day,” he told Fox News.
“I had certainly heard of things like this happening from other agents and landlords. But it was a new experience for me.”
The newspaper has reached out to Philadelphia police for comment.
In a statement to Fox News, officers said they only confirmed that Hart was aware of squatter's rights issues, but did not arrest him.
Eventually, the squatters told Selborn they had found another place to live, but Selborn said they would only vacate the premises if Hart gave them $2,000.
After some negotiation, Hart was able to settle the case for $1,200.
When Hart was finally able to return to his home, he said it was “very dirty with trash everywhere,” but luckily there was no damage.
He then spent nearly $600 more to hire a cleaning company and a locksmith.
“I didn't feel safe at all after that,” said Hart, who was finally able to sell her home last week.
“I had to keep driving there every day to make sure no one was breaking in.”
Mr. Hart is now speaking out against liberal politicians who grant rights to squatters.
“It's completely ridiculous,” he said. “We can’t support investors like me who want to make the city better, who want to buy houses and fix them up and make the city a safer, nicer-looking neighborhood.”
Although he has no strong feelings toward either political party, he noted that Philadelphia is a Democratic-run city and said the correlation between this kind of leadership and crime across the country is “very clear.” ”.
“We need different politicians,” he said.
“I think their policies are terrible and are destroying many cities across America. And Philadelphia is one of them.”
