Philadelphia Homeowner is Forced to Pay $1.2K to Get Squatters Out After Cops Refused to Intervene; Pennsylvania Man Pays Ransom to Reclaim House from Squatters: ‘The city is rewarding criminals’

Philadelphia homeowner is forced to pay $1.2K to get squatters out after cops refused to intervene:

A Philadelphia homeowner says he was forced to pay squatters who changed the locks and left the property a mess $1,200 to leave after city officials refused to intervene.

Chris Harte bought the home in northwest Philadelphia, renovated it and attempted to sell it in late 2023.

But on Dec. 8, his real estate agent received a call from a neighbor who reported hearing a commotion coming from the house the night before, Fox News reported.

The neighbor decided to take a look, and saw people moving into the house and taking down a “for sale” sign.

Harte then decided to contact the cops, who told him the people on the premises were attempting to change the locks to the house. But they said because the squatters claimed they were renting out the property, there was nothing they could do.

Frustrated, Harte, his real estate agent and a locksmith met cops at the house the next day.

“I had all my paperwork, purchase and sale agreement, homeowner’s insurance, the deed to the home, everything on me,” Harte recounted to Fox News Digital.

“They said it didn’t matter.”

He claims the police told him the squatters have rights, and in order to evict them, Harte would have to file a landlord-tenant complaint — which costs more than $300 and could take up to a year for a judge to order the squatters out.

“Squatters’ rights — it’s like an oxymoron,” Harte said.

“If I walk into a store and steal a bottle of water, they have me on camera, they’re going to take me to jail. But somebody can break into my house, change the locks and now they have rights?” —>READ MORE HERE

Pennsylvania man pays ransom to reclaim house from squatters: ‘The city is rewarding criminals’:

A Pennsylvania man says he had to pay a squatter $1,200 to leave his house after police told him they couldn’t intervene and court staff said a formal eviction could take more than six months.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Chris Harte said. “The city is rewarding criminals, basically.”

Harte first spoke to Fox News in December, just days after his saga began. He was in the process of selling an investment property he’d renovated in northwest Philadelphia.

But on Dec. 8, Harte’s real estate agent got a call from someone who lived near the house. She said she heard a commotion the night before, then saw people moving into the house and taking down the “for sale” sign.

Harte was about to pick up his kids from school, then had to pick his wife up at the airport, so he called the police. He says officers went to the house and called him back, saying there were people out front attempting to put new locks on the door.

Harte said the officer told him the people at the house claimed to be renting it, so there was nothing they could do.

The next morning, Harte, his real estate agent and a locksmith met police at the house with similarly frustrating results.

“I had all my paperwork, purchase and sale agreement, homeowner’s insurance, the deed to the home, everything on me. They said it didn’t matter,” Harte said.

The suspects had squatters’ rights as soon as they moved into the house, and police suggested he file a landlord-tenant complaint, Harte said. Court staff told him he’d have to pay more than $300 to file for an eviction to remove the alleged squatters, which could then take up to a year. —>READ MORE HERE

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