UK Squatter Sells House He Did Not Own for Huge Profit, Leaving Legal Owner Penniless
Imagine coming home to find a stranger living in your house, claiming it as their own, and having full legal rights to it. That’s exactly what happened to Colin Curtis, a UK resident as told by Metro UK. The house originally belonged to Doris Curtis, who left it to her son, Colin. Even though Colin kept paying taxes on the property, Keith Best took over the vacant house in 1997 and eventually moved in with his family.
According to The Daily Mail, Best filed an adverse possession claim, which allows someone to gain legal ownership of a property after openly occupying it for an extended period. Despite legal battles from Curtis, Best ultimately won the case, and Curtis, living on a modest pension, passed away in 2018 while Best sold the house for a significant profit.
In the U.S., similar stories of squatters taking over properties have been reported. Fox News highlighted a case where a homeowner found a neighbor claiming part of his land via adverse possession. Another report from the New York Post recounted a man who discovered squatters living in his property and faced legal consequences when trying to evict them.
The situation in California was also dire due to a COVID-19-related eviction moratorium, making it nearly impossible for landlords to remove tenants who owed large sums of rent. Much like the UK case, squatters in the U.S. appear to have an upper hand over rightful property owners due to prevailing laws protecting them.
It’s crucial for homeowners to be vigilant and protect their property from being taken over by squatters. As the law seems to favor the intruders, losing a property could mean being left on your own. This disturbing trend demonstrates a need for thorough reevaluation and updating of property laws to prevent similar injustices in the future.
