A handyman was able to get the upper hand on some squatters who had taken up in his mum’s California home. After contacting the police – who said they couldn’t help – and reading about drawn out court cases, he took matters into his own hands.
Flash Sheldon posted a video about his success at removing squatters simply by turning up, although he did bring a gun with him just in-case.
“If they could take a house, then I could take a house,” the founder of the United Handyman Association said in the video.
He continued: “They’re the squatter, and they have rights. Well, then, if I become the squatter on the squatter, then I should have rights, right?”
Shelton said that the squatters broke into the vacant house several months ago after his mum moved out. His father had recently died and she couldn’t live there on her own.
He put the house up for rent and a woman who said she was a prison guard asked if she could rent from him. However, she said she didn’t have any credit or money so he declined.
But that didn’t stop her from moving all of her things into the house anyways. Shelton learned a truckload of the woman’s belongings had been taken to the home.
“She said that it was delivered by accident and she was getting rid of it,” Shelton said.
However, realtors and neighbours told him that people had been seen regularly coming and going from the home.
“I had heard horror stories about how the legal system gives the squatter more rights than the homeowner, so I decided to come up with a way on my own to get them out in less than a day,” Shelton wrote in the caption under his video.
He then decided to drive to Northern California where the house is located to deal with the situation himself.
READ MORE: Idaho adopts execution by firing squad amid supply shortage
He said: “Even though you’re at your house, and you’re paying the mortgage…at some point, squatters feel like they have more rights than you, so they don’t have incentive to leave until a judge tells them to.
“And that could take months, six months, it could take years. I don’t know. I didn’t want to take that chance.”
Before he enacted his plan, he drew up a lease with his mother, declaring him the legal resident of the home.
Arriving at the house, he saw cars in the driveway and people inside so he waited in his jeep with his dog and his gun until the morning.
After the family left, he used his keys to let himself inside and filmed what he saw: boxes, furniture and belongings strewn around the home. He then began to install security cameras inside and outside the house.
While he was working outside, two women approached him and one said: “‘I’m really sorry about all this. It’s a nightmare and beyond.”
Shelton calmly told them that they needed to move all of their belongings out by midnight or he would have them moved. He even spoke to some neighbours offering them free furniture if they helped him move the squatters’ belongings.
However, the threat appeared to work as the family began unpacking the house, although Shelton said they missed the midnight deadline.
“I think just the fact that I was there was enough,” he said. “It was actually fun to do it. I won’t lie about that. I’m glad it was successful.”
Although Shelton was successful, he warned others to be cautious taking matters into their own hands.
“I don’t suggest that everyone take a chance like I did on their own. It’s worth noting that I have had special training, a license to carry and was prepared for whatever situation was to arise,” the handyman said.
He continued: “The men and women I had to deal with remained peaceful and that may not always be the case. If you ever have a situation like this, it is best to expect the worst and you will be prepared.”
