Squatters opening strip clubs and drug-fueled party houses shows freeloader tactic evolution: Squatter hunter

Freeloaders' tactics are evolving and becoming more sophisticated, meaning homeowners likewise must broaden how they protect their properties, a handyman-turned-squatter hunter said.

"What I've noticed is squatters are adapting, just like our society is," Flash Shelton, founder of the United Handyman Association and SquatterHunters.com, told Fox News. 

The California handyman said squatters are getting savvier and look different than they have in the past. While the typical squatter used to be around middle-aged, Shelton said in recent years he’s noticed a new demographic of these unwanted residents emerging.

"What I'm finding right now is there are a lot of new generation squatters that are opening up party houses," he said. "It’s all about getting into the nice house with a view, figuring out a way to get there and just have a whole bunch of people there."

In January, a group of squatters took over a multi-million-dollar mansion in Beverly Hills that was in foreclosure. According to ABC7, they resided in the house for months, throwing rowdy late-night parties and even charging admission to attendees. 

Atlanta, meanwhile, is facing a squatting crisis worse than any other metro area in the country, with around 1,200 homes being taken over, according to the National Rental Home Council trade group. The city has seen instances of squatters running illegal strip clubs, engaging in drug use, prostitution and costly damage in the houses.

"I think that it is evolving," Shelton told Fox News. "It is its own pandemic."

HANDYMAN-TURNED-SQUATTER HUNTER OUTLINES ‘NIGHTMARE SCENARIO’ WHEN MIGRANTS CATCH ON TO HOUSING LAWS

A mansion in Hollywood Hills was the site of squatting activity, according to local authorities. (Fox 11 )

Squatters and tenants' rights laws vary across the country, with some states providing protection for non-paying individuals, allowing them to occupy a property for extended periods. In areas where complex laws bar police from taking action, homeowners have few options to reclaim their property beyond pursuing a civil case, which can take months. 

In some cases, landlords have resorted to paying unwanted residents to vacate their property. 

"When a homeowner decides to pay a squatter to leave, they're usually at a point where they feel like they have no other option," Shelton said. 

The California handyman had his first experience removing squatters in 2019 when two women took over his mother’s home while it was up for sale. 

After local law enforcement couldn't help, Shelton spent days dissecting laws around squatters’ rights and managed to get rid of the women within a day using a loophole that included signing a lease agreement with his mother designating him as the legal resident of the home. Now he uses his experience to provide squatter removal services for others.

Shelton said giving in to the demands of these individuals can have negative consequences. 

"It's like paying the kidnapper," he said. "If one landlord pays a squatter to get out, then that's sending a message, not only to them, that we can go take another property and make more income."

"When does it stop?" Shelton added. "If you don't take the steps to prevent the squatters in the first place, no matter what, it's going to cost you."

Teny Sahakian is an Associate Producer/Writer for Fox News. Follow Teny on Twitter at @tenysahakian.