Florida loophole favors squatters

Monday, December 8, 2008

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

Property manager Ron Colbourne shares some pictures that show a fraction of the problems squatters cause. (Slideshow)

PASCO COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A loophole in Florida law makes it difficult to remove squatters, people who settle on property without a title, or payment of rent.

Simply put, squatters can establish residency by having mail sent to a vacant home.

"If you receive mail in the place and you have done so for a period of 30 days or more, it's very hard to just evict somebody," said Greg Armstrong, President of West Pasco Board of Realtors.

Property manager Ron Colbourne was hired in October to look over several homes belonging to an investor in California.

Squatters had taken over eight of nine properties, including a Port Richey home Colbourne found in disarray.

"I do pest control," Colbourne said. "I don't get sick. I gagged. I had to go outside. There was feces on the walls. The kitchen had roaches everywhere. There was food scattered throughout the house."

More Information

Five squatters were living there.

"You figured toilets haven't been flushed," he said. "At least for five months."

Colbourne can't even enter or evict the squatters without going through the court system, even if there are obvious signs of a break-in.

"They're professional squatters," he said. "'Go ahead, get the sheriffs. There's nothing they can do.' And they knew it."

The home is currently undergoing an eviction process. The entire process can take from three days to nine months.

Armstrong explains the problem isn't going away anytime soon.

"The vacant housing issue is not going to go away overnight," he said. "It's something that we're going to have to live with for a couple of years. And if we don't fix it, it's only going to get worse."

Begin SlideShow
image image
End SlideShow