i thought this just happened in cartoons

I can' t believe this really works. Can I move into the house down the block while they are on vacation and claim squatters rights?

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/stranger-takes-family-home-legal-article-1.1533414

A family from Springfield, Ohio, returned home from visiting a dying relative only to find a stranger had moved into their home and changed the locks.

Even worse for the family, who wish to remain anonymous, the intruder may have the law on his side.

The new "owner" of the house is Robert Carr. He pounced when the family went to see their ill relative. Not only did he change the locks, he also emptied the house and produced court documents to show he was the owner, reported The Blaze website.

The papers he provided are known legally as a "quiet title", involved in situations where the property has been abandoned.

The family is moving to Pittsburgh and foreclosing on their Springfield home.

An investigation by a local channel, WLWT-TV, found at least a dozen similar cases involving Carr.

Speaking to the news team, Carr said: "When you abandon a property, bam, walk away from it, 'I ain't never coming back. I don't want nothing to do with it,' right? Somebody can come in, 'Oh, mine.'"

Carr says he is not acting alone. "I have a team of people who go out and I say make sure the house is empty. If it's empty, change the locks."

The family have now begun legal action. Their attorney said it had been a stressful time for them.

"This is stress that has fallen on their shoulders out of nowhere, after the death of a loved one and now they're responsible to answer to this," said the lawyer.

I wonder how long they were away?

so how did he get in?

several years ago a dude in Atlanta would rent a mansion, not pay the rent it would take them a year to evict him, then he would just rent another one, he was living in mansions for pretty much nothing...but his kohonies

nicksta43 wrote: I wonder how long they were away?

that is the big question..

false. Quiet title takes years to prove (like, measure able in decades), and a judge has to grant it, which nearly never happens.

Apparently, this Carr guy is borderline insane (literally), and his court "documents" almost illegible.

The claims have no foundation in law, and there are dozens of suits against him on file. Sensationalist journalism at its sleaziest. The "news" station mentioned in the op is a greasy disgusting group, one I never turn to for info.

i thought this just happened in cartoons

After reading that I went and painted a tunnel on a bridge abutment to see if I could really run right thru it but I got hit by the train.

There are folks that have tried this in several areas. Mostly, they are miseducated-- like the folks that think they legally don't owe income tax. But it still takes the REAL law-abiding citizens a lot to deal with such nuts.

Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

sounds like he needs the recommended lugnut removal tool. shotgun. if i came back to someone claiming they owned my house, they would be - not around anymore - to say the least. out of the 11 or 12 now cases of this guy doing this, why has nobody come home and just popped him?

the comments on that article are genius. like saying people who would be violent against him are only saying so because he is black.

In reply to Curmudgeon:

Eviction papers to get back into his own home?

I am really really anti-violence but how does someone not just kick in their own door and throw her out on the lawn?

Ranger50 wrote: so how did he get in?

He removed a window A/C and climbed in.

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

Officer, I'm calling to report a break in...

Any story that uses The Blaze as a source deserves to be taken with a pound of salt.

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

2 nights? I'd kick my own door in before that whore spent another 5 minutes in MY HOUSE. Same with Carr...

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

Happened to me once. I just dropped an anvil on her head, and she walked away quietly sounding like an accordion.

But seriously... There was a scam here about 10 years ago. Scammers would look for people who's house were mortgage free. They'd set up a fraudulent sale, obtain a mortgage on the property, and abscond with the loot. When they didn't make any payments, the bank would foreclose. When the real owners fought them in court, the banks were always awarded the property, even though it was all a scam.

This is one time that I think the media made a difference. They kept on these stories, and there was a huge public uproar, until finally the government stepped in and fixed it.

Navy guys used to get warned by the command when they got stationed in Idaho to make sure their buddies got home by lunch the day after a night out. Scam was to take a guy home Fri night for the weekend and present him with copies of the filed common law marriage paperwork Mon morning. Guy would pay up for the divorce or girl would demand to move with him when he got restationed

4cylndrfury wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

2 nights? I'd kick my own door in before that whore spent another 5 minutes in MY HOUSE. Same with Carr...

Yeah, trouble is then she lies some more and you end up in a courtroom, or a jail cell, it's been known to play out poorly for the man after that. With a man, yeah, I'd kick the door in with a 12 gauge.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.

2 nights? I'd kick my own door in before that whore spent another 5 minutes in MY HOUSE. Same with Carr...

Yeah, trouble is then she lies some more and you end up in a courtroom, or a jail cell, it's been known to play out poorly for the man after that. With a man, yeah, I'd kick the door in with a 12 gauge.

With his situation when he first called the cops in their view it was 'he said, she said' and that never ends well. If he broke into his own house, grabbed her and frog marched her out it could have led to an aggravated assault charge. Add to that the two kids and he was in a bad spot.

He had to go to a magistrate, lay out what happened, then get an eviction notice before the police could put her out of the house.

Where I come from, that would be called 'breaking and entering" along with "vandalism and trespassing". The local PD would have him in cuffs because they know me, the house, and know that he had no claim to it despite what his fake papers say.

My understanding is that this is legally possible if you manage to live in the house for a long time (like 7 years) without the home owner doing ANYTHING about it. It seems that the guy who tried this is a "sovereign citizen," which pretty much means the sort of guy who applies tinfoil-hat income tax protests to everything else in life.

MadScientistMatt wrote: My understanding is that this is legally possible if you manage to live in the house for a long time (like 7 years) without the home owner doing ANYTHING about it. It seems that the guy who tried this is a "sovereign citizen," which pretty much means the sort of guy who applies tinfoil-hat income tax protests to everything else in life.

Re: Sovereign Citizen - please see my "basically insane" comment above.

There was a county prosecutor on the radio last week talking about this. He was saying that quiet title often takes more than 30 years worth of occupancy, and is still going to require a judge rule in the occupants favor in court. That means, you have to convince a judge to actually hear it, by presenting legitimate documents and factual evidence to support your claim. Quiet title almost never happens.

In most Ohio counties, anyone can submit anything to the clerk of courts, and they must record the submission. Theres a not insignificant difference between submitting papers, and a judge handing you a deed of ownership.

This Carr guy will be in prison soon.

The part I am having trouble understanding is why when these folks came back to the house they couldn't just call the police and have him hauled off. It doesn't appear like that long a time could have elapsed, and if it had and the bank was in foreclosure why couldn't they have done it. I don't see how this could happen to a property that wasn't abandoned for some time, and possibly haunted.

Curmudgeon wrote: Not exactly the same scenario, but a dirt biking buddy picked up some girl in a bar, she spent the weekend at his house. On Monday he heads out to work, she says she'll get a ride. He gets home that evening, she has changed the locks and moved her kids in. He spent two nights on my couch while he was working all this out, he had to file eviction papers to get her to leave. Damndest thing I think I have ever seen.