Protect your home from ‘professional’ squatters [Video]

Every squatting situation is different from the next, but often, commonalities present in many cases include costly court battles, expensive home damage and mental health consequences for homeowners dealing with the emotional situation. 

The general definition of squatting is when a person unlawfully possesses a property. There are two primary ways in which this happens, Daniel Phillips, a real estate litigation partner at Belkin, Burden and Goldman law firm who specializes in landlord and tenant disputes, previously told Fox News Digital. The first is in the case of a foreclosure, where a property becomes abandoned. The second is by means of fraud, where a person will use a fake identity to rent out a home and will quickly stop paying. 

“Professional” squatters are “people who move from one property to the next, taking advantage of innocent landlords with vacant property,” according to Stessa. 

SELF-HELP EVICTION METHODS TO REMOVE SQUATTERS COULD LEAD TO LEGAL TROUBLE FOR HOMEOWNERS

These individuals are familiar with the laws of the state they are …