A Texas couple is calling on lawmakers to address the issue of squatters—people who occupy people’s homes without permission—after their police report about a squatter brought no results.
They explained that the squatter was actually a contractor they hired but he refused to leave after being fired. In the video, he was seen climbing through the window accompanied by a woman.
Ms. Matthews can be heard saying in the video, “Squatters breaking into my house again through the window.” The woman then responded: “I can show you his rights. You’re breaking the law.”
During the interview, Ms. Matthews said that she had captured the video as evidence of the incident, but that after reporting it to the police, they were given no help.
“We called the police, and we didn’t get any help from them. Instead, the police told him that he has the right to stay [on] the property,” she said, adding that the police “didn’t give us any help because they said it was a civil matter.”
Mr. Mendez said they attempted to get help from the police again after getting advice from the constable’s office that it was a trespassing matter, but the police didn’t seem to want to get involved.
“We explained the law, the letter, and how to enforce it, and yet the police did not want to do anything,” he added.
They also alleged that the man shoved Ms. Matthews as they were putting up an eviction notice on the property. Even after that, the police allegedly told them that Ms. Matthews was at fault because she “got in his way.”
According to Mr. Mendez, the contractor had initially asked them if he could stay on the property while finishing the job because he has gout. They agreed and he signed a contract, which Mr. Mendez also captured. But the man allegedly stole the phone and deleted the video.
“He must be homeless. He never even worked in the restroom,” he said. “The first few days, he was complaining of his gout. Then after I was trying to get a work schedule from him, he would just give me runarounds.”
“Little by little, showing that … It was the house that he wanted all along. With our trust he abused us,” Mr. Mendez continued.
“We don’t have any protection. There’s legislators that are out there, such as Governor DeSantis, who are making headway, but we need more headway across America to protect us, the homeowners, because there’s very little,” Mr. Mendez said.
“It’s really a gimmick, I think, for the municipalities across America to make money,” he added.
