It’s perfectly normal to have someone watch over your home when you are going to be away from it for a long time.
My grandmother on my father’s side of the family had to spend about two months in a recovery home after some pretty invasive surgery, and it happened to coincide with my getting out of the military. So I spent my terminal leave time staying at her house and visiting her in the hospital.
I would take care of the place for her and generally try to make sure it was the same as when she left it when she got back. I tried to do the right thing by her, and I think I succeeded. Plus, two months in rural North Carolina was a pretty good deal at the time.
I’ve had the favor returned to me as well. About eleven years ago I had to travel out of state with my wife for an emergency and we had a neighbor that would come every day and feed our cat; even sitting with the little fella for a while.
When we got back home, so little was undisturbed that even the twenty-dollar bill I had accidentally left on the coffee table was still sitting where I had left it.
I sure wish more people were honest like that.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where some people can be horrible just because they found a way to game the system.
Last year, Joe and Susan Landa purchased what they thought was going to be their dream home for around two million dollars.
It was the perfect setup. They had enough room for themselves and their disabled son, and they had another son who as it turned out lived right next door. Seems to be like that would be a total dream right?
Well, it ended up being a complete nightmare. They pulled up to the house on the day that they were supposed to be moving in, and were met by someone who referred to himself as the home’s caretaker. The previous owner had passed away about a year before.
This “caretaker”, a person named Brett Flores claimed that he had a license to live there that was signed by the previous owner that the new owners would have to get sorted out.
The Landas told him he had ten days to get out of their house and when they showed back up to get him to leave, Flores called the cops on them citing squatters’ rights.
Apparently, this guy had been living there the whole time. Now they are engaged in a frustrating and costly legal battle to try to be able to live in a home they paid for.
And since the utilities are in their name, this waste of oxygen is running up the bills so they have to pay for it. It’s a shame they just can’t go in and walk him right out of there.