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Property owners take home back from alleged squatters
LYNNEOOD, Wash. (KOMO) — The family of a property owner forced entry into their home on Monday in order to evict three people who are accused of moving into the house in Lynnwood, Washington state with their belongings, changing the locks on doors and creating a fraudulent lease. Caption: A...
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LYNNEOOD, Wash. (KOMO) — The family of a property owner forced entry into their home on Monday in order to evict three people who are accused of moving into the house in Lynnwood, Washington state with their belongings, changing the locks on doors and creating a fraudulent lease.
Amir Rai said he brought friends with crow bars to get inside the property, located in the 6200 block of 208th street SW in Lynnwood.
Once inside, the group was able to flush out the trio of people who had made the home their own. The owners spent much of the day carrying the items found inside to the outside curb.“So I broke the windows of our own house," Rai said. "It’s our property."
Rai and his three uncles showed KOMO News that documents they said prove that the property belongs to them. The group said they noticed several cars in the driveway of the home last week even though the property was supposed to be vacant since they were in the process of closing on a sale.
That's when they found people who were living inside the home before they called the police.
Lynnwood police said the three were able to produce documents of their own that purported to show that they were living there legally. The documents meant police were unable to do anything about the residents, telling Rai and his family they would have to pursue the matter in court.“They broke in (and) changed the locks," Rai said. "They made a fake lease."
“They (told) us go to the court," said Naeem Ahmad, one of Rai's uncles. "Make your case and let them evict them.”
The family waited weeks as they attempted to let the legal process play out.
Amir and his uncles decided to take action into their own hands.
The three left without incident and never called police for help, and authorities said the case is now closed.
Amir said he hopes their experience serves as a cautionary tale for other property owners. He said owners of vacant rental homes should check regularly on their properties and even board the site up to help keep people out.
Rai and his uncles say after this ordeal, they’re getting out of the rental property game.“We don’t want this to ever happen to us or anyone else," Rai said. "Turn the water off (and) make sure the electricity is off so somebody can’t just come in and take over."
“They broke in, they changed the locks. They made a fake lease,” says Rai.