When you rent out your home, you always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. In most cases, the biggest concern is tenants failing to pay rent or minor issues that can be handled legally. However, some renters don’t just refuse to pay; they refuse to leave. In these cases, landlords often have to involve the authorities at their own expense. Worse still, many squatters don’t leave the home in the condition they found it; when forced evictions occur, some tenants retaliate by causing extensive damage. If you thought renting out your property was a safe way to earn extra income, these 10 shocking squatter horror stories might make you think twice.
1. The Squatter Who Tried to Steal the Property of a Hospitalised Homeowner
In January 2022, 41-year-old Jeffrey Goddard was arrested after attempting to claim an 84-year-old man’s home in the Clairemont neighbourhood while the rightful owner was in hospital. The elderly man had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in an incident that tragically took his daughter’s life. Seizing the opportunity, Goddard moved in, changed the locks, and even transferred the utility bills to his name. He went as far as attempting to claim squatters’ rights, but since he had never legally rented the property, police arrested him before he could take full control of the home.
2. The Squatter Who Tried to Steal a $500,000 Home After the Owner Died
Professional squatters are a nightmare for homeowners, often targeting vacant properties they believe they can take over without repercussions. Convicted felon Lucia Ruiz saw her chance when the owner of a luxurious home in the affluent Four Hills neighbourhood of Albuquerque passed away. She moved in and turned the property into a crime hub, with police frequently visiting due to her ongoing legal troubles. Ruiz even produced a fake lease and a fraudulent deed claiming the deceased owner’s daughter had sold the house to her for just $1. She was eventually arrested for forgery and other crimes, but not before terrorising the entire neighbourhood.
3. The Squatters Who Cleaned Out a House in Maryland
In April 2022, a woman returned to her apartment in Greenbelt, Maryland, to find it completely emptied—except for her bed, where two strangers were casually lounging. The intruders fled before she could confront them, but CCTV footage later revealed them systematically removing over $49,000 worth of belongings. By the time the police were involved, her possessions had already disappeared.
4. The Stripper Squatter Who Took Over a Family Home
A California woman and her five-year-old daughter initially rented a room to a woman who worked as a stripper in 2012. However, things quickly spiralled out of control when the tenant began using her section of the home as a personal performance stage. She purchased a handgun to intimidate the homeowners and racked up over $40,000 in unpaid bills. To make matters worse, California law protected her rights as a squatter. The homeowner’s lawyer ultimately advised her to pay the squatter $4,000 to settle out of court rather than endure a lengthy legal battle.
5. Squatters Forced a US Veteran and His Family to Live in a Hotel for Five Months
Veteran Peter Dover from Colorado Springs hired a moving company to assist with his relocation. However, instead of doing their job, the movers locked him out of his own condo and moved in themselves. Dover and his family were left homeless for five months, staying in a hotel while they fought to reclaim their property. Even after they successfully evicted the squatters, they returned to find the home completely ransacked and severely damaged.
6. The Property Seller Who Became a Squatter
Tracie and Myles Albert of Riverside, California, thought they had bought their dream home through an escrow payment plan. However, when they completed their payments in January 2020, the seller refused to vacate. Shockingly, the seller even called the police when the new owners attempted to change the locks. The Alberts spent thousands on legal fees trying to evict the squatter, only to be thwarted by a statewide eviction moratorium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took 15 months and national media attention before the seller was finally shamed into leaving.
7. The Nightmare Nanny Turned Squatter
Marcella Bracamonte of Upland, Los Angeles, hired a nanny without realising she had been homeless for over nine years. Worse still, the nanny was classified as a “vexatious litigant,” meaning she had a history of frivolous lawsuits. When Bracamonte attempted to fire her, the nanny sued for unfair termination and won. To add insult to injury, she refused to leave their home, forcing the family into a gruelling legal eviction process that dragged on for years.
8. The Airbnb Guest Who Became a Permanent Resident
Airbnb guests are meant to stay temporarily, but one homeowner in 2014 learned the hard way that some guests refuse to leave. After renting her condo to two brothers, she found herself in a legal battle when they claimed residency under tenant rights laws. Since they had stayed for over 30 days, she could no longer remove them without a court-ordered eviction. To make matters worse, Airbnb was unable to intervene since the booking had been handled off-platform.
9. The Caregiver Who Became a Hoarding Squatter
Fran Breslauer, a 90-year-old woman from San Diego, hired a caregiver via Craigslist to help her ailing husband. However, instead of providing care, the woman took over their home, filling it with hoarded junk and even obtaining a restraining order against the elderly homeowner. Breslauer was forced to leave and move in with her daughter in Oregon while the squatter rented out rooms in her house. The ordeal only ended when police arrested the squatter for elder abuse, destruction of property, and fraud.
10. The Airbnb Guest Who Turned Into a Scam Artist
A homeowner in Watsonville, California, made a critical mistake in 2015—she allowed an Airbnb guest to pay her directly in cash rather than through the platform. After a few months, the tenant stopped paying and refused to leave. Worse still, they locked the owner out of her own home and caused extensive property damage, including a broken sewage system that cost thousands to repair.
These stories highlight the dark side of property rental and the challenges homeowners can face when tenants turn into nightmare squatters. Laws often protect squatters more than property owners, making eviction a lengthy and costly process.
Have you ever encountered a squatter horror story? Share your experience in the comments below!