Philly homeowner pays squatters to leave after police couldn’t help
Squatters allegedly broke into a Philadelphia home that was about to be sold. With no help from police or the city, the owner says he paid to get his house back.
Squatters have taken over a multi-million dollar mansion on the border of Beverly Hills, inviting partygoers to ravage the property through all hours of the night, according to frustrated neighbors.
Squatters have occupied the four-bedroom Beverly Crest mansion — listed on Zillow for nearly $4.6 million — for several months, outraging neighbors, ABC7 reported Tuesday. The squatters not only appear to be living in the home, but even charge admission for advertised late night parties, the neighbors told the local outlet.
"There's a roaming pit bull with children around," said Fran Solomon, who owns and rents out the home next door to the alleged squatters. "There are people drunk and stoned, wobbling, walking in and out, and then driving the canyons. Does someone need to be killed before the police will do something?"
Drug paraphernalia and condoms were littered across the property, while partygoers loiter on the streets from late night into the morning, ABC7 reported. One neighbor, Rick, told NBC4 Los Angeles nearby residents have called the police and fire department to report issues involving the home and have towed cars off their private properties.
A Beverly Crest multi-million dollar mansion is being occupied by alleged squatters throwing parties throughout the night. (Courtesy: NBC4 Los Angeles)
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"We’re very concerned as neighbors for our own safety, for the safety of our kids and for our homes," Rick said
Solomon told ABC7 her tenant was forced to hire armed security.
"We rented in good faith, and they rented in good faith and here they're in this situation where they are hiring an armed security guard to protect them and their family," Solomon said. "That's how concerned our tenant is for their safety."
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The house was most recently owned by MDRCA Properties LLC, but the company filed for bankruptcy last year, NBC4 reported. Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer James Allen, who's handling the investigation into the alleged squatters, told the Daily Mail that the house's ownership is in question and entering foreclosure, but people living there claimed to know a former owner who invited them to stay there.
"I guess we can say they're squatters," Allen told the Daily Mail. "But they're squatters to the owner that's in foreclosure to the bank. We're working on a plan with the bank to evict the individuals because there's no one at this point to evict them and say they're there illegally."
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Allen said the alleged squatters' drivers licenses are registered to the home, which could lead to a lengthy court eviction process, the Daily Mail reported. He also submitted a request to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office to help oust the alleged squatters.
"If you were able to grab a house illegally, and I didn't catch you during that process, but now you have an ID because you went to the [Department of Motor Vehicles] and you got mail to that house, then it has to go through the eviction process," Allen said. "I'm no longer able to just take you out of that home."
John Woodward IV, the property listing's broker that a court hired after a previous owner fled the country amid murder accusations and an alleged link to a Medicare fraud scheme, told KTLA5 he found the front locks and gate code were changed after receiving a call that people were moving in.
A home in Hollywood Hills was also trashed by squatters last year, according to the LAPD. (Coutesy: Fox 11)
Woodward called the police, but the people refused to leave and told officers they had a lease, he said. One of the alleged squatters also told KTLA5 on Wednesday that he had a lease, but couldn’t provide further comment.
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"This is a very affluent area, paying exorbitant taxes, and we can’t seem to get the proper response from the LAPD to close this down," Solomon said in another interview with NBC4. "The law abiding citizens aren’t getting protection from criminals that have taken over a home that doesn’t belong to them."
LAPD declined to comment. The city attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.