Squatters on properties we own or manage creates liabilities for property owners. Without regard for owners, squatters will take advantage of a property as long as they want or are allowed to. I have been in the business of managing, cleaning and now demolishing structures for over 30 years. I have also owned rental properties of my own and I can tell you that I have never met anyone happy they were dealing with a squatter on their property. Having a squatter removed is handled exactly as an eviction. It isn't an immediate process and can be expensive. There's also an aspect of the process that forces us to consider the human aspects of the circumstances. Maybe it is easy enough to make a decision when we discover the squatter(s) are able-bodied young men, but more difficult if that isn't the case. Your roof may be the only shelter they have. Contemplating the nature of living outdoors and relying on the charity of others to survive is a frightening thought. No one I know wants people to suffer. Dealing with squatters on property during the holidays may be an especially tough task. We might remember Ebenezer Scrooge famously said ""Have they no refuge or resource? Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" No one wants to be Scrooge, but there is liability and we can expose or insulate ourselves from it. Once we are aware of a situation, we must at least do the minimum to protect ourselves and our interests, even if we don't like the idea of someone suffering further due to our decisions. In a court of law, where our actions or inactions will be judged, we must show that we bore the responsibility thrust upon us by another. We must prove that we took the necessary steps to rectify the situation as quickly as possible. Anything less, and we then are forced to bear a whole new set of responsibilities, some of which could be devastating to us financially. All we have worked for, all the dreams that hinged on our endeavors, the promising future we envisioned... could be gone. Replaced by a version we had never imagined and frankly, didn't deserve. It might help to remember that we didn't ask for this responsibility. It may also help to know that by taking action, we are protecting ourselves and our loved ones the only way we can. Most of us probably know and understand that doing "the right thing" is not often easy. The very best thing we can do is to take this responsibility seriously before the issue arises. Demolishing derelict structures that do not currently have squatters residing in them is the cheapest and safest option. As owners or managers of a property, we own the good and bad. Examples of this responsibility are making decisions like those outlined above. The question is, will we wait until a problem develops, or will we act in the most efficient manner and deal with derelict properties before anyone can take advantage of them. No one wants to force anyone outdoors during the holiday season. Don't wait until then to understand your exposure to the possibility of being forced to do just that.
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