Question about squatters in vacant houses

[clearconscience]

So with the down turn in the economy and housing market i know there a lot of vacant houses around.
Iwas talking to a friend at a xmas party he just lives about a half a mile from us and he was telling me there's a house next door that has been vacant a couple months and then started being lived in by drug addicts and homeless.
Knowing this is next door when I would have kids and them being able to see clearly when we are and are 't home would be greatly unsettling to me. He said he's gone to the city and police and after a while they just stopped responding. The police will come at their will and run them out but they come right back.
His mother-n-law lives a coulpe miles away having the same situation and had a neighbor wake up with a man standing at the foot of her bed. Luckily he ran off when she screamed.

I'm pretty sureI would end up doing something bad in a situation like that.

He also said they live next to a middle school with a walkway in between the two houses where kids use as a pathway and he is constantly finding alcohol bottles and drug pipes,etc in there. The kids hang out there in plain view day and night doing drugs or just hanging out cursing and being kids.

I'm only 32 but I'm a bit old fashion (cranky old man) and that would make my blood boil and I can't imagine having to deal with that crap. I'm really not a confrontational person, but in thise cases I would become very intense, especially if the city/police wouldn't do anything.
It drives me nuts to see stuff like that and know the city/ police can't or won't do anything until a more serious crime has take. Place. We the law abiding citizen haveto put up with complete trash and dysfunction and can't fight back or clean up until we are threatened and by then it may be too late.

Any of you deal with this or had experieces similar?

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[Mark W.]

Setup an old school stereo pointed at the house and play Jethro Tull over and over and over again. they will move.

 

[clearconscience]

Maybe the kids, but the squatters will party on

 

[U201491]

Who Owns the house?
Sounds like it is being allowed to be used as a drug house. Get the neighbors together march on the PD or SO and demand they stop it, and if they catch it being used for drug sales, maybe they can confiscate it and get some revenue. If you know the owners, bank or otherwise, tell them that is your intent and if they do not want to lose it....., That should get them off their azz to do something about securing or putting security on it.

OR

You could trap and put about a dozen full scented skunks in the house and the next time they came there, see who stays and who goes................................. OR

 

[clambo]

I had this happen to me awhile back. I had a rental that went unrented for 4 mo. or so due to repair and landscape work. The neighbors called me several times to report people going in and out, lights on super late, etc. It was a nice little house and I wanted to get them out ASAP before they trashed it. My solution was to do a no knock entry at 3 a.m. with 2 large friends, a baseball bat, and a 1911. I asked them to leave and they did. Just like that. No harsh words, threats, violence were necessary or used. I also got I.D. from 2 of them for future use if necessary. Might not be able to do that so easily if its not your property though.

 

[kickstart my heart]

Grizzly mace comes in a large can, shoots up to 30 feet away, and is like $20 a can. Just sayin'.......

 

[Mikej]

SHIST, I've got an apartment complex that used to be nice with an on-site manager across the street from me. The place sold a few years ago to some damned developer, went to a management company that moved some real douche bags in (non-working adult males). I have the garbage, drugging, cussing, thumping bass, racing in and out all times of the day and night. Pretty much what you describe, but it's all legal and legitimate apparently! They did bust the one Dbag a year or so ago, spent a moth in jail but still has his four fine vehicles (with ultra bass).

Good luck with that clearconscience, but I think unless people die, or there's a fire, or every last one of the neighbors constantly call.....Well, you're screwed!

Mike

 

[parallax]

is there a way you can find out who the property belongs to?. and if so.. confront the owners about the problems and figure out a way to make them take care of it.

 

[clearconscience]

That's what I asked him if it was bank owned or a rental owner with no renter. He said it's a rental and they haven't seen the renter for a while. Did have the fed knock on their door last week looking for him sayinghe was wanted for dui's but after some conversation found out he had several pending narcotics sales charges waiting for him.
So I think it's still owned by a person. I told him go find that guy and do some aggressive talking. And if he doesn't clean it up he better have good insurance. Cause fires happen all the time on"accident"

 

[Dunerunner]

If it is bank owned, or still owned by a person you can file suit for the degradation of your property value. That may cause them to take measures to secure the property. You can call the heath department to have the property condemned, turn off the water, gas and electricity.

If non of that works, I like the Skunk Idea!!

 

[parallax]

can you go to the county office and look up the owners on a data base by street address?. If I lived around Vancouver, I would help you force the property owner to respond.... its a numbers game,, more people confront the owner,, the more likely the owner will do something about it.. I hate this type of..B@#%$hit

 

[spectra]

Does this house have power and water now? Kind of surprised that if it was vacant that the water is not shut off knowing the PUD around here. If so the sanitary conditions in the house are going to be well where do you go?? You get the picture. That right there should be enough to do something.

I know how it is over here we had a house vacant for over a year across the street. Find out who owns it and talk to them. You should be able to do that by looking up the tax records on the Clark County web site.

Good luck! Hope it all works out.

 

[clearconscience]

I've heard of this happening to several people and have watched it on the news all the time.
Never had it so close. I will give my friend some of these suggestions.

And be glad to help if he needs a little wet work done.
I love the skunk idea. If the heat is still on you could also crank it up to 90 deg and throw a bunch of fish in the vents. Or just fish oil.

 

[simon99]

Most, but not all, cities have regulations about this kind of thing. If that doesn't work, I'd go to the county and address the issue with them. The police, even though illegal activities are going on, would be my last stop merely because they will only enforce code violations with a request from the city or county.

 

[rufus]

As you know, this is a tough situation. What you need to do it move it up to the top of the police department's priority list. Here's how:

Get together with your good neighbors and make life very unpleasant for the squatters. Get in their face, video all drug deals, take pictures of squallier, people, video the loud music and note the date/time, anything that can help your cause. Go to city council meetings in force, armed with video & pictures, and do slide shows during public comments with each cooperating neighbor getting in their allotted time (usually 3-5 minutes). Make it take an hour each and every meeting. Give the councilors no choice but to do something, if nothing else, to make you guys go away. They can (usually) instruct the police department to deal with it. You have to keep the pressure on the city/county administrators. Believe me, they will act, but only when it's beneficial to them. Make the squatters their problem, not yours.

I used to live in a city that televised the council meetings. The councilors were elected by the public and did not want to, in any way sharp or form, appear to disregard public input, especially in matters like this.

This is a pain in the butt to do, but very effective and often the only way to "git 'er done".

 

[pokerace]

[QUOTThis is a pain in the butt to do, but very effective and often the only way to "git 'er done".][/QUOTE]



No it is not....

 

[Oklahomie]

I've Got the same issue my apartment complex is a within spitting distance of a now vacant complex. Some squatters moved in and made a fire pit in the back yard which I never noticed. The landlord came in and nailed shut everything but they came back and busted the locks on the storage units there and through trash all over.

This is all slightly better than the folks that lived there before lol.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

PM me with the complete address and I will see if I can find the deed holder for you. Once the owner is known, then the path becomes much easier to navigate.

It is the taxpayer's responsibility to maintain everyone's right to quiet enjoyment, as it's stated in the law up here.