Squatters have taken over a house owned by a rental real estate company in a suburb of Atlanta.
Micah Richard, a member of the homeowners association at Camp Creek Villas in South Fulton, told Fox Atlanta that the quality of life in the area has been disrupted by squatters moving into the homes. spoke.
“We had some very aggressive fights in the middle of the night. There were big parties and liquor bottles and rubbish were left in the area,” Richard said.
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Camp Creek Vacation Home in South Fulton, Georgia. Residents said a group of squatters had taken over homes in the area. (Waga)
Other HOA violations have also been a problem, such as residents walking their dogs off-leash.
The South Fulton Police Department told FOX News Digital that officers responded to a call of a break-in at a home on Killam Terrace last month.
“We are aware of an ongoing illegal occupancy incident at 116 Killam Terrace Southwest in Atlanta,” a police spokesperson said. “Officers charged a person with illegal occupation at this location on Wednesday, September 25, and the case is currently progressing in court.
“Additionally, officers were called back to the property on October 5th due to new reports of illegal occupancy, and two further people were wanted.”
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The Villas at Camp Creek in South Fulton, Georgia has a sign that says “Private Road.” (Waga)
According to police, residents told authorities that squatters have been occupying the house for the past year and a half. The police department is not involved in the eviction process, which is managed by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.
In May, authorities evicted the squatters who had lived in the house since October 2023, according to the report. There was another eviction last summer, and the latest group of squatters reportedly moved in in late August.
“That's a problem. They're in the same location,” Richard said.
According to Fulton County property records, the home is owned by Divi Homes, a real estate agency that offers a rental agreement program, and residents believe it is being exploited by squatters. Fox News Digital has reached out to Divvy Homes several times for comment.
The general definition of squatting is A person's unlawful possession of property. Daniel Phillips, a real estate litigation partner at Belkin, Baden & Goldman LLP who specializes in landlord-tenant disputes, told Fox News Digital there are two main ways this can be done.
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The first is a foreclosure, where the property is abandoned. The second is through fraud, using a false identity to rent a house and then immediately stop making payments.
Fox News Digital's Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.
