{"id":2120781,"date":"2023-12-09T21:14:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T02:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/squatter-granted-ownership-of-old-mans-house-sells-it-for-more-than-half-a-million-while-the-elder-lives-on-paltry-pension\/"},"modified":"2023-12-09T21:27:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T02:27:11","slug":"squatter-granted-ownership-of-old-mans-house-sells-it-for-more-than-half-a-million-while-the-elder-lives-on-paltry-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/squatter-granted-ownership-of-old-mans-house-sells-it-for-more-than-half-a-million-while-the-elder-lives-on-paltry-pension\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatter gains ownership of elderly man&#8217;s house, sells it for over $500K as the senior survives on meager pension"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsquatter-granted-ownership-of-old-mans-house-sells-it-for-more-than-half-a-million-while-the-elder-lives-on-paltry-pension%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2120781&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Nightmare of Squatters: \u200bHow\u200c Strangers Can Steal Your Home<\/h2>\n<p>Imagine a scenario \u2062where a \u2064complete stranger sells your house without your permission, keeps\u200d all the money, and then has the \u2064audacity to \u2063blame you \u2064for their &#8220;nightmare&#8221; life. Sounds like a Hollywood movie, right?<\/p>\n<p>Well, this nightmare became a reality for Colin Curtis, a resident of\u2063 the U.K., according to an article by Metro UK.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063story begins with Doris Curtis,\u200d Colin&#8217;s mother, who passed\u2064 away in the 1980s \u2062and left her \u200dhouse to her son. Colin\u2063 moved\u2063 out in 1996 to live in \u2063another inherited property but\u200b continued paying taxes for the Newbury Park house\u2064 in East London.<\/p>\n<p>In 1997, a man named Keith\u200d Best\u200d noticed that the house\u2064 was vacant and decided to renovate it.\u200c He \u200bspent a whopping $188,000 on the renovations and \u2062eventually moved \u2064his family \u200dinto \u200cthe house in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Best then \u200cfiled an\u2062 adverse possession claim, which allowed him to become \u2063the registered owner of the property. This law enables a trespasser to legally gain possession and ownership of a property if they \u2062occupy it openly for an \u2063extended \u200cperiod, usually 10 to 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>Colin Curtis fought \u2063back, but as the \u2063registered executor without a will from his mother, he lacked sufficient legal grounds. Best argued \u200dthat his \u2064visible control\u200d of the \u2062house since 1997 met the legal time period requirement, and a High Court judge ruled in his favor.<\/p>\n<p>After 12 years\u2063 of battling in court, Colin Curtis passed away in 2018, living on a meager $321 a week from his state pension and tax credits.<\/p>\n<p>Best \u2062then sold the inherited family house for nearly $665,000.<\/p>\n<p>Despite \u2062profiting from\u200d the sale, Best claims to be the victim, blaming the law for his actions. He \u2064argues that he did \u2063everything legally and that if anyone has a\u200c problem, \u200cthey \u200cshould be angry at the law, not\u200b him.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Squatter who won battle over dead woman\u2019s home sells it\u200b for huge profit.*** Seems Squatters Rights Laws need to be \u200drevisited in USA\u2063 and by \u2062our\u200b cousins across the pond. Squatters should categorize as Criminal Embezzlement. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tyI3WlT0Na\">https:\/\/t.co\/tyI3WlT0Na<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ALR229712812 (@ALR229712812) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ALR229712812\/status\/1733590759289262568?\">December 9, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If you think this kind \u2063of situation could never happen in the U.S., think again.<\/p>\n<p>In March,\u2064 Fox News published an article \u2063highlighting \u2062cases of U.S. homeowners entangled in\u200c lengthy and expensive legal battles to remove squatters from their properties.<\/p>\n<p>One <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-amy-coney-barrett-delivers-first-opinion\/\" title=\"Justice Amy Coney Barrett Delivers First Opinion\">case involved<\/a> Delaware resident Burton Banks, who tried to \u200dsell\u200d inherited vacant \u200bland only to discover that his neighbor, Melissa Schrock, had claimed a portion\u200b of it through \u2063adverse possession. Despite \u200cpaying taxes \u2064on the land, Banks lost in\u200d court as Schrock insisted it had always been her backyard.<\/p>\n<p>Another\u2063 case covered by the New York Post involved a suburban Atlanta man who found weapons, a prostitute, and\u200c a broken fence on his \u200bproperty.\u200c When he called 911, he was the one who got \u200darrested.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">the \u2063criminal isn\u2019t the squatter, it\u2019s the homeowner<\/p>\n<p>the criminal isn\u2019t the illegal immigrant, it\u2019s the border\u2062 town farmer<\/p>\n<p>the criminal isn\u2019t the looter, it\u2019s the bodega shop owner<\/p>\n<p>the criminal \u200bisn\u2019t the subway vagrant, it\u2019s the hero marine <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7w5MvfHXLQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/7w5MvfHXLQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Logan Hall (@loganclarkhall) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/loganclarkhall\/status\/1691996324575478098?\">August 17, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In California, a COVID-19-related eviction moratorium prevented landlords from evicting\u200b tenants, even if they owed over\u200b $100,000 in rent.\u200d It seems that in many states, authorities may side with squatters over property owners.<\/p>\n<p>It feels like we&#8217;re living in the Wild West, where squatters can claim it all.<\/p>\n<p>With more laws\u200d protecting criminals rather \u200bthan homeowners, it&#8217;s crucial\u2063 to be vigilant and protect your property. If \u200dyou\u2064 lose \u2064it, chances are you&#8217;re on your own.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/squatter-granted-ownership-old-mans-house-sells-half-million-elder-lives-paltry-pension\/\">Squatter Granted Ownership of \u2062Old Man&#8217;s House, Sells It for More\u2064 Than Half a Million While the Elder Lives \u200don Paltry Pension<\/a> appeared \u2062first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How\u2062 can \u200dhomeowners protect\u200d their properties from squatters under current adverse possession laws?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  R own \u2064properties. One\u200c such case involved a couple from California, who returned from a vacation to find strangers living in their house. These squatters had\u2064 changed\u200c the locks \u200cand claimed \u2063they had a right to occupy the property. The homeowners were \u2064forced \u2064to \u200cnavigate a complex legal\u200c system\u2064 and spend thousands of dollars to regain ownership of their own home.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d nightmare\u200b of squatters is\u2063 a phenomenon faced by numerous homeowners \u200daround the\u2064 world. Squatting, often referred to as \u2064adverse possession, \u200dallows\u200d individuals to take over vacant properties\u2062 and eventually claim <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ilhan-omar-says-it-is-an-act-of-terrorism-for-israel-to-defend-itself-from-hamas-rocket-attacks\/\" title=\"Ilhan Omar Says It Is An \u2018Act Of Terrorism\u2019 For Israel To Defend Itself From Hamas Rocket Attacks\">legal ownership<\/a> if they can demonstrate continuous occupation for a certain period \u2063of time.<\/p>\n<p>While adverse possession laws were initially intended to resolve land disputes and provide a pathway for abandoned properties to \u2062be put to use, they have become a\u2063 breeding ground for\u2062 abuse. \u2063Opportunistic individuals take advantage of \u200bthese\u2064 laws \u2063to invade and\u200c occupy someone else&#8217;s property, leaving the real owner to\u200c fight a lengthy and costly battle to\u2063 regain their rights.<\/p>\n<p>One of the main issues\u2062 with adverse possession laws is the lengthy timeframe required for squatters to claim ownership. In many \u2062jurisdictions, the minimum time period is ten years, during which the true owner may be completely unaware of the \u200dencroachment.\u2063 By the \u2063time they become aware, \u2064it can be challenging to gather\u2063 evidence and prove\u200c their legal ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, adverse possession\u200d laws often prioritize the occupier&#8217;s rights over the original owner&#8217;s. This is not only \u200bunjust but encourages an environment where squatting is seen as a\u200b legitimate means of acquiring property. This undermines property rights\u200b and erodes the trust and\u2062 security that homeowners\u200b should enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>Reforming adverse possession laws is necessary to protect innocent homeowners from falling victim to those\u2064 seeking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/king-charles-invoking-medieval-law-generating-huge-profits-through-old-tradition-of-bona-vacantia\/\" title=\"King Charles uses ancient law to make big money with 'Bona Vacantia' tradition\">exploit legal loopholes<\/a>. The first \u200dstep is to reduce the time period required for adverse possession claims,\u200b ensuring that\u200c property owners have a reasonable chance to take action \u2064before losing\u200d their rights.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, stricter requirements for adverse possession claims \u2063should be\u200c implemented. Occupiers should not\u2062 be able to claim ownership purely by living in a property; they should be required \u200dto demonstrate improvements made to the property or genuine attempts\u2062 to contact \u200bthe\u2064 original owner.<\/p>\n<p>Governments should also take proactive measures to educate homeowners \u200babout their \u200brights and the\u2064 steps they\u2063 should take to protect their properties from \u2062squatters.\u2063 By\u200d raising awareness and offering guidance, homeowners can be better equipped to\u2062 prevent and address squatter invasions.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, \u200cthe nightmare of\u2063 squatters stealing homes is a distressing reality that no homeowner should have to face. It is crucial for lawmakers to prioritize the \u200bprotection of property rights and revise adverse possession laws to\u200d ensure that\u2062 innocent homeowners are not\u2062 left defenseless against those seeking to exploit the system.<\/p>\n<p>The story of Colin Curtis and countless others serves as a\u2062 wake-up\u2062 call to address this issue \u2062promptly. Letting the nightmare\u200c of squatters persist only perpetuates injustice, undercutting the very foundations \u200bof a fair and secure society. The time for reform is now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Owner, Colin Curtis, from the UK, was shocked to discover that a complete stranger had sold his house without his consent, keeping all the money and placing the blame on him for causing chaos in his life. This unbelievable incident, resembling a movie plot, was reported by Metro UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2329,"featured_media":2120782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2120781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2329"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2120781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2120782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2120781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2120781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2120781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}