Real estate agents warn of squatter scams in Chicago area
CHICAGO - It’s happening, again.
Real estate agents say squatters and scammers are creating significant problems across the Chicago area, taking over vacant homes and tying them up in court for months.
"They flipped over the sign. The Coldwell Banker sign, it says 'sold.' And then they changed the locks. They installed a Ring doorbell," said real estate agent Airian McDuffy. She was shocked on Friday when she found a family living in a vacant home in Longwood Manor on the South Side that she had been trying to sell for months.
When McDuffy tried to talk to the family inside, she said they yelled, "This is our property. Get off our property!" They were ordering us off the property."
The owner of the home, Bill Adrianos, called Chicago police and rushed to the scene. But Adrianos said he was told by officers the squatting family told them they were the victims of a scam.
"The police, they refused to do anything about it," Adrianos said. "They refused to do anything because they say the people say they have a lease. They rented from the landlord. We can’t do anything about it."
Eventually, the officers were able to talk the squatters into leaving peacefully. But realtors say once a squatter is in a home, it can take months to kick them out through the courts.
Realtor Jamere Walton said fake landlords and squatters have increasingly been using open houses and real estate listings that include addresses to find targets.
Walton said people signing leases should always make sure the person that claims to own the property actually does.
"You can also go on the Cook County property tax site, Cook County Recorder Of Deeds, to make sure the name on the lease matches the city records," said Walton.
The best way to catch squatters before they settle in is by putting a monitored security system inside the home and calling the police immediately if someone you don’t know steps inside the front door.
"It seems like it’s becoming normal," said McDuffy. "So I want to draw attention to this so that way we can do something to start putting in proper procedures."