In a shocking turn of events for a couple in Maryland, a group of unknown people moved into their newly bought home before the couple could move in, and they refused to leave when confronted.
The couple bought the house the same day the squatters moved in. They signed the contract on their new home on Thursday, and the new homeowners’ excitement kicked in. They decided to pass by their new house and check out their investment before heading out to celebrate the purchase.
To their absolute shock, they found a U-Haul truck parked in their driveway and people taking their belongings and moving into the house. This event must have perplexed and terrified the couple. The couple immediately called their real estate agent to inquire about what was going on.
Melea King, the real estate agent, told a news outlet that it seemed as if someone had forcefully tried to take possession of the house. She said the purchasers were the home’s legal owners, and they had bought the property from a bank after the home was abandoned and subsequently foreclosed on.
They bought the five-bedroom house in Clinton, Maryland, from the US Bank and had parted with $376,600 only to be shocked to find people moving into their house and refusing to leave.
King, who was speaking on behalf of the couple, as they did not want to be named publicly, said they had an “agreed signed ratified contract with the bank” and showed reporters the signed contract under which the couple purchased the house.
When the owners first saw the squatters, they went to confront them about the home, and the squatters showed them a document they claimed was a lease for the home, and they declined to leave, stating that they had the right to be there.
The squatters had brazenly put-up signs in front of the house that said “private property,” “no trespassing,” and “beware of dogs.”
Police were called to the property, and according to King, when officers from Prince George’s County Police Department showed up, the squatters also showed them the lease, and when they examined it, they found that the lease was inaccurate and illegal.
Prince George’s Police Department confirmed that an officer from the department responded to the situation at the property but that the department had decided that the issue was a civil matter that needed to be addressed by the sheriff’s office.
When reporters tried to speak to the men who had moved into the property, they claimed that a person called Quinn had the lease. The men said that Quinn was their uncle, but upon further questioning, they admitted they did not know Quinn’s last name.
A neighbor told another reporter that they had been smelling marijuana from the house and that a mother and a child were among the squatters.
The couple hopes the situation can be resolved soon but demands answers from the bank about how the men could get inside the house.
Maryland’s laws on the eviction of squatters require residents to fill out complaint forms in their district court. Then, the court will issue a summons to the squatters.
Sounds like the new homeowners may have a delay in moving in. The media were alerted in order to get attention to the situation and speed things up.