5 On Your Side digs into squatters rights after neighbors' complaint
People in a Wake County neighborhood tell 5 On Your Side squatters have taken over a foreclosed home on their street, damaging the property and making neighbors uneasy.
After a viewer tipped WRAL News off to what was happening, the 5 On Your Side team went to the neighborhood in Willow Springs.
There was a large box truck parked in the side yard of the home and a pickup truck in the driveway with no license plate. All the window shades were drawn and a garage door appeared to be damaged.
"No one is supposed to be in there, it’s vacant," nextdoor neighbor Keith Purcell said.
The 5 On Your Side team met with a group of neighbors who said people have been living in the house for four months. The group tried contacting the foreclosed property’s management company and law enforcement.
"The Sheriff’s Department has been out there three times," Purcell said.
In North Carolina, squatters, or people who move into a home even though they don’t own or rent it, still have rights. A property owner has to evict them, just like they would a tenant.
"Squatters are typically trying to figure out how to take possession of a property legally," Brian Pate, a realtor, said. "Often times, they know the rules to the game and they have the ability, because they know those rules, to cause massive confusion for the landlords."
Neighbors looked up property records and at the time, USAA was the owner. Neighbors said contacting them didn’t go anywhere and everyone was getting more concerned about the strangers on their street.
"We don’t know what to do," Purcell said. "We’ve been calling everybody. That’s why you’re here."
5 On Your Side tried to talk to the people in the home, but they didn’t answer the door.
When we dug deeper, we discovered the ownership situation was complicated. A USAA contractor tried to transfer the deed over to the Department of Veterans Affairs, who backed the loan.
The VA told 5 On Your Side they denied the transfer because of a technical error. So, even though the deed was in the VA’s name, they said they don’t have any rights to the property. At this point, no one was claiming the right to evict.
"It’s more common than people realize," Pate said.
He explained that because of the way homes are advertised, it can be easy for squatters to find targets.
"They can go online to almost any real estate website and you can look at the photographs and tell if the property is empty and vacant, a lot of times that’s how they’ll do it," Pate told us.
5 On Your Side learned a company called ‘Mr. Cooper Group’ was managing the foreclosed property before the attempted transfer to the VA. When 5 On Your Side questioned them about the situation, they told us they were recalling the deed, inspecting the property immediately and removing any potential squatters.
That could easily take weeks, even months, for the eviction process to play out.
"Here in North Carolina it’s generally 45 to 60 days in most cases, but it could extend beyond to 90 or 120 depending on the scenario," Pate said.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation after 5 On Your Side started asking questions. They are now talking with the property manager but say they can’t release any other details at this point.
