By Anonymous - 03/11/2014 15:54 - United Kingdom - Bath

Today, I learned that the house I've been living in and paying rent for the past two months was never advertised as vacant. I learned this when the actual homeowners walked in, and called the police for an "intruder." FML
I agree, your life sucks 41 123
You deserved it 3 637

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Show them the lease you signed...that should clear things up

How did this even happen? :/ I hope you got it sorted OP and you have a place to live now.

Comments

*high fives #41* *upvotes #41* *slaps #1*

incoherentrmblr 21

*peeks through blinds wondering what the f**k is going on...*

You can't start a slow cap at any moment it has to be the right time...

*watches #50 ********** with a pleased Grin*

Show them the lease you signed...that should clear things up

I assume OP didn't sign a lease. At least not with a bank or legitimate entity. Just because you rent doesn't mean you have an agreement for doing so. Could just be someone they know that said hey you can live here for $600 a month, here's the keys that they somehow had.

There is a scam where people are renting out and even selling homes that appear to be vacant. They print up fake documents and change the locks then take off with your money. Sorry, OP.

skyeyez9 24

There was something about that on the news recently where a homeowner was away on vacation, and found some people living in their home. The squatters changed the locks and for some reason, some stupid legal loophole, police can't do shit about it.

How did this even happen? :/ I hope you got it sorted OP and you have a place to live now.

rekkas 16

This is actually too common. Someone knows that the family will be gone for a while and they come in and sell the house to them or something and make a bunch of money then the real homeowners come back and they get in trouble.

Seems like both parties were duped; no big deal. You'll probably have to move again though. Good luck finding a legit place to rent!

'Probably have to move'!!! Think it's safe to say OP will definitely have to move!

OP doesn't have to move. OP could move in and then they could start a wacky sit-com and get into all sorts of shenanigans.

orbit 22

Did someone say shenanigans? Get the broom sticks! Bad South Park reference...

There are actual squatting laws that if OP lived there for a good amount of time he could legally live there as the owners would have to go to a court to get him evicted. There are actual cases of that happening too.

#36, but that just seems like the asshole thing to do. At the very least, OP could recognize that they were scammed and not drag their heals. So yes. If the circumstances are right, OP could make it a pain in the ass for the actual owners. But then OP would have to be evicted. And nobody wants to rent to someone who was evicted.

I thought squatting laws required something in terms of years of residence, not two months. My brain said 7 but that's how long before a missing person is declared legally dead isn't it?

your close squatting laws in the uk state 8years you must live in the property that long without anyone claiming it as their own and without paying rent (as this proves its owned by someone), before you can claim it as your property.

7 years is when you are common law married in some states.

A scam artist. People do it all the time. They find summer homes and try to rent it out to unsuspecting people .

I'd get in touch with the scam artist and say I wanted to give him or her rent money in advance for the next two months, but what's really going to happen is me beatin' that ass like a hoe for every single penny!

Did they try and keep your stuff? That really sucks, but if you rented it you'll have the lease agreement and you shouldn't be in too much trouble... Hopefully .

ouch I'm sorry op hopefully they realized what happened

Well, you should point at the guy deceitfully taking the rent despite this.

Next time you rent a house, try talking to the owners directly, instead of some "agent".

I don't think every house for rent has actual owners besides a bank or something though. I could be wrong but I don't think so. EDIT: I just rhymed without meaning to. I am a poet.