A California real estate broker endured nearly a year of legal wrangling to exclude a man from a newly purchased investment property.
When Irma Mendez, a real estate agent in Chula Vista, Calif., bought a boarded-up house before it went into foreclosure, she never imagined she’d end up in a 10-month legal battle with the squatters.
In an Instagram video, Mendez showed the aftermath of the residents’ home, including extensive property damage and racist graffiti.
After purchasing the property, Mendez said she tried to take possession of the property by offering the alleged squatter “cash in exchange for the keys,” but the man refused to leave.
“This guy just felt at home. He walked in there and [San Diego Gas & Electric account] “He lived in his name and his water was paid for under the HOA, so he basically had free housing,” Mendez told the New York Post.
After a 10-month process, “he went to court. He actually went to court and asked to stay longer,” Mendez said. Eventually, the man escaped before the local sheriff could take him in, but by then the house had sustained extensive damage.
Undeterred by the experience, Mendez told the Post that she renovated the property and found a new tenant.
According to NBC’s San Diego affiliate, San Diego Superior Court data shows more than 9,000 “wrongful detention” cases were filed last year, all of which were heard by a single judge. For property owners, they have to rely on the courts to deal with squatters as the police do not intervene.
“Buying property with squatters doesn’t scare me,” Mendez wrote in a recent Instagram post. “It takes a lot of patience and a good lawyer!! California protects these sneaky freeloaders[. It] Evictions take an average of 9 to 12 months to complete. Landlords should be very careful who they rent to. ”
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