No one wants to hear that someone off the street committed a crime on his or her property, and with swelling rates of abandoned or vacant properties in the country, it is becoming more and more common. Considering that these vacant homes usually have no electricity to power a security system, vacant property board up is the most effective means of keeping unwanted individuals from entering and exploiting your property through theft, vandalism, or squatting.
Unfortunately, vacant properties can become a den of crime when the owner isn’t looking. Sometimes, the illegal tenants are a family with nowhere else to turn, but in other instances, criminals can set up shop in a vacant property for use as a drug den or meth lab. In Michigan, the constant influx of newly abandoned properties in addition to the staggering numbers already lingering around the city has made squatters a low priority to local law enforcement. In order to prevent legal trouble and harm to real estate agents looking to move property into new hands, a good board-up job can be an effective tool in preventing break-ins and preserving property values.
If a real estate agent enters a property occupied by a squatter, things can become ugly very quickly. Even in a non-violent case, squatters can bring legal trouble against a property’s owner. In Chicago, a squatter is suing the rightful owner after eviction on grounds of damage to their property, including a missing camera, a missing laptop, and a missing pet turtle. A lot of money is at risk in that case. Board-up of vacant property before squatters even arrive can protect your assets from legal trouble and real estate agents from danger. It could be said that today is a squatter’s market. Do what you need to protect your own property.
