360: Trespassers Took Over My Property! (How to Get Rid of Squatters ASAP) w/Leka Devatha

Real Estate Rookie

If there’s anyone who knows how to get rid of squatters, it’s Leka Devatha. Right before MCing the biggest real estate event of the year, BPCon 2023, Leka got a phone call from her property manager with the words no investor EVER wants to hear, “there are trespassers in the property.” What followed was months of legal back and forth, media attention, and some secret agent work from Leka to get these so-called “tenants” OUT of her property. In the end, Leka lost tens of thousands of dollars, but today, she’s going to share how to avoid the same fate.

Squatters know their rights and how long it takes landlords to kick them out of a property, so they come prepared. With everything from fake leases to moving over utilities, claiming the legitimate owners are liars, and doing ANYTHING they can to prove they belong in the house, modern-day squatters could live in your home for years unless you follow the same steps as Leka.

In today’s episode, Leka shares how she got two trespassers out of her house without going through the long, costly, and often unsuccessful eviction process, how she beat the squatters at their own game, and what YOU should do to stop ANY squatter from even THINKING about stealing from you.

In This Episode We Cover:

How to get squatters out of your house ASAP without waiting on the eviction process

The one type of rental property owner squatters LOVE to target

Hiring attorneys and why your legal team MUST be ready to make moves quickly

Canceling utilities and how to get this done as soon as a squatter takes over your property

“Squatters' rights” and how to beat squatters at their own game

Leka’s BIGGEST pieces of advice to avoid squatters and trespassers in the future

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

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Creative Ways to Get Rid of Squatters: What’s Legal & What’s Not

What Landlords Need to Know About Squatter’s Rights

Watch Leka’s News Story

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Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-360

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