A Philadelphia homeowner says he was forced to pay squatters who changed the locks and left the property a mess $1,200 to leave after city officials refused to intervene.
Chris Harte bought the house in Northwest Philadelphia, renovated it and intended to sell it in late 2023.
But on Dec. 8, her real estate agent received a call from a neighbor who reported hearing a commotion coming from the house the night before, Fox News reported.
The neighbor decided to take a look and saw people entering the house and removing a “for sale” sign.
Harte then decided to contact police, who told him that people at the scene were trying to change the locks on the home. But they said that since the squatters claimed they were renting the property, there was nothing they could do.
Frustrated, Harte, his real estate agent and a locksmith met police at the house the next day.
“I had all my paperwork, the purchase and sale agreement, the property insurance, the deed to the house, everything on me,” Harte told Fox News Digital.
“They said it didn’t matter.”
Chris Harte said he was forced to pay squatters $1,200 to vacate his home in northwest Philadelphia. Fox News
He claims police told him that squatters have rights and that to evict them, Harte would have to file a landlord-tenant complaint, which costs more than $300 and could take up to a year for a judge to order the squatters out. illegal.
“Squatters’ rights are like an oxymoron,” Harte said.
“If I go into a store and steal a bottle of water, they will have me on camera and they will take me to jail. But someone can come into my house, change the locks and now they have rights?”
Bob Cervone, the real estate agent who was selling the house, said the issue has become a common problem in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Police told us they get three to four calls a day similar to this,” he told Fox News.
“I had certainly heard about this from other agents, from owners. But it was my first experience with that.”
Police who arrived at the scene on December 8 said people at the scene were attempting to change the locks on the home. Chris Harte via Fox News
The Post has contacted the Philadelphia Police Department for comment.
In a statement to Fox News, officers would only confirm that Harte was aware of the problem with squatters’ rights and that they made no arrests.
In the end, Cervone said, the squatters told him they found another place to live, but would only leave if Harte gave them $2,000.
After some negotiations, Harte was able to reach an agreement with a payment of $1,200.
When he was finally able to get back inside, Harte said the house was “super dirty” with “trash everywhere,” but luckily there was no damage. Chris Harte via Fox News
When he was finally able to get back inside, Harte said the house was “super dirty” with “trash everywhere,” but luckily there was no damage.
He then spent almost $600 more hiring a cleaning company and a locksmith.
“I had no peace of mind after that,” said Harte, who was finally able to sell the house last week.
“I had to keep driving there like every day just to make sure no one got in.”
Harte is now speaking out against liberal politicians who allow squatters to have rights.
Bob Cervone, the real estate agent who was selling the house, said the issue has become a common problem in the City of Brotherly Love. Michael Bogner – stock.adobe.com
“It’s absolutely absurd,” he said. “They’re not helping investors like me who want to improve the city, they want to buy these houses and then fix them up and, you know, make the city a safer, better looking area.”
He added that he doesn’t identify strongly with either political party, but noted that Philadelphia is a city run by Democrats and said it seems “pretty obvious” that there is a correlation between that leadership and crime across the country.
“We need different politicians,” he said.
“I think their policies are terrible and they are ruining many cities across the United States. And Philadelphia is one of them.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn