Squatters rights on steroids
Here’s an infuriarating story:
A local homeowner who said she’s in the fight of her life trying to get a squatter out of her house has spoken exclusively to 7News.
The alleged squatter, Shadija Romero, originally got into the house through Airbnb, claiming her home had been damaged in a fire and she needed somewhere to stay while it was being repaired, which was back in February.
Rochanne Douglas said she didn’t know she was opening her life up to a nightmare when she accepted Romero’s Airbnb reservation almost ten months ago.
That reservation ended on March 29th, after 32 days. After being a guest for 30 days, Romero started to claim residency at the home and is claiming forms of tenants’ rights and refuses to let Rochanne enter the property.
“I never gave her any tenancy,” said Douglas. “I never gave her a lease.”
The story is datelined 12/3/2025, so this has been going on for many many months. There will be a court hearing in a few days; let’s hope the squatter gets evicted. However, the venue is Washington DC, so I wouldn’t count on it.
The accused squatter allegedly tried to place utilities in her name and has tampered with security cameras.
She removed Douglas’s personal property from the fully-furnished unit and has blocked the owner from entering to conduct maintenance, repairs, inspections and preparations needed to sell the home, the filings stated.
Douglas also alleged Romero has verbally threatened her, engaged in repeated abuse of police and judicial processes, and attempted to have her work vehicle towed by falsely claiming ownership of the home.
That article also indicates this isn’t Romero’s first squatter go-round:
… Douglas has since learned that Romero was evicted from her previous address after accruing approximately $50,000 in unpaid rent for 13 months of residence.
The filing accused Romero of ‘attempting to use the same tactics again to avoid lawful removal’ from Douglas’s home.
‘Her unstable employment and documented eviction history further demonstrate her pattern of manipulating legal protections intended for legitimate tenants, not transient Airbnb guests,’ the document said.
Romero claims she’s been paying Douglas, but whether or not that is the case isn’t really the issue. If the owner wants her out, she needs to get out.
It would seem that Romero knows exactly what she’s doing.
There is an adverse possession law in DC, but Romero doesn’t qualify:
In Washington DC, people who occupy a home without permission can gain legal rights to the property through a process known as adverse possession, according to the House Buyers of America.
But in the district, squatters can only obtain legal ownership of the residence if they have occupied the property for 15 years or more and meet five criteria …
D.C has this thing called “Landlord-Tenant Court” and it has always been a Disaster of the First Order for property owners who rent because it always sides with tenants to the extreme. The renter abuses it supports are legendary, and given its history only those ignorant about Landlord-Tenant Court abuses would own single-family rental property in D.C.
I’m sure things have changed in D.C. since I lived there but I very seriously doubt they have changed for the better. Should Ms. Douglas, somehow, win this battle I’d suggest immediately – as in “within 5 minutes of receiving a favorable disposition” (line up the locksmith ahead of time and pay a retainer to have him standing by in front of the house by and ready to go) – changing the locks and getting the “For Sale” up in front.
Just like the 1983 Matthew Broderick movie “War Games”, the only way to win the rental game in D.C. is to not play.
A guy I worked with 30 years ago had this problem and he hired a pest removal guy. Big black dude showed up with his suit case, says he has just rented the place and to get out. The deadbeats left immediately.
There are several property mgmt companies (if you can call this ‘property mgmt’…) out West that do nothing but deal with squatters. Many owners find that the most effective way is to bend/break the law themselves to remove them. I’m a big proponent of ‘three Ss’ personally.
Core cities in this country are populated with vicious politicians and a critical mass of voters who sustain them.
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In any sane jurisdiction, the eviction of a legitimate tenant should take place no later than 70 days after the commencement of process. A character like this should have been hauled out of there in two weeks or less.
Monty Python, “Organ Donor” (“Meaning of Life” excerpt [0:56]): https://youtu.be/EqBNIh-Lx1c
The last house I bought (2019) had a squatter, which the bank gave up trying to remove. The listing said you could not go onto the property or contact the person in the house. This was a foreclosure.
It was a bid process and we offered the bank $50,000 less than their asking price.
Once I took possession, I contacted the squatter, who claimed he had been sub-leasing from the owner and had a lease agreement (which he never produced).
The water had already been turned off, and once winter was over, the power was also turned off.
I offered the person $1000 to move out (cash for keys), and said he would move for $2,000). It was going to cost $600 to file the paperwork for an eviction, and I wasn’t in a hurry since I planned to do a full remodel.
It took six months to get him out, though some of that was my fault.
Why did it take so long?
I couldn’t prove the bank had given him notice of the sale– so that required 60 days. Then I had to notify of the intent to evict– which required another 60 days.
I could enter the property– by posting a notice that I would inspect after 48 hours.
After the eviction order was given in court, I had to notify the sheriff and set up a date to take possession. The deputies were there to insure no altercations.
After that I had to move all the remaining things he didn’t take onto the street (off the property).
The place was a mess. All the food in the refrigerator was left after the power was turned off. Dishes were left in the sink after the water was turned off.
It turned out I knew the person I was evicting. I had coached him in Little League 25 years previously. He was a big kid, even then, and played HS football and had a full scholarship to play at the state university, but he failed the drug test.
When I first took possession, he told me he really wanted to stay in the house, and I agreed he could stay for $800/month (well below the going rate). After the first month I tried to collect the rent, but was unable to contact him. That’s when I started the eviction process. Turns out I couldn’t find him, because he was in jail for a DUI.
I also found out from the bank’s realtor that he had been offered $7,000 to leave the property (an amount she said was unheard of by the bank). Wilson, was a 300 lb. black kid and could be very intimidating. Add to that the place has a known drug house and it’s probably why the bank gave up trying to get him out and no one was interested in the property.
During the time, I continued to offer him money, though by then only $600 and offered to store his possessions in the garage while he found a place to live.
I ran into him a few months after he had finally left (though the last two months he only sometimes slept there) and he said he guessed he should have taken the money. He was a nice kid, but not very smart.
The courts in our rural community aren’t sympathetic to squatters/deadbeats– but it might no be as straight forward in large blue cities.
My son opened up his home to a long-ago friend (plus partner) who had a sob story.
Partner turned abusive, would not do the promised home maintenance (in return for staying at the home), finally did not want to leave.
Long-story-short: son had to go through the county court system, occasionally missing work, to remove the ess-ohh-bee and long-ago friend.
It took literal months, but the surgery was completed without further incident and neither of the pair has returned (it’s now been an additional year).
Could’a’ been a helluvalot worse.
(Son still has a big heart but is now considerably wiser.)
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KJV Matt 10:16 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
I can’t say out loud what to do with this woman but it should be done.
Anyone considering being a landlord would be well advised to educate themselves on the eviction process in their area beforehand.
There can be different rules depending on the type of rental.
There usually is a defined (and complex) eviction process. An experienced attorney can be a big help with an eviction. Emphasis on “experienced.” Such an attorney will be expensive.
Pro se landlords tend to make a lot of mistakes that cost time and money, and the expensive lawyer may not be such a bad deal in the end.
Just keep in mind that landlords are considered evil and tenants, regardless of how deadbeat, are considered virtuous.
Thus the court will usually favor the tenant.
Michael Keaton in “Pacific Heights.”
Over the last few years I have learned the hard way how much power tenants have. And how much damage and loss they can cause which a landlord can never recoup.
–I was pastor of a small church which had a parsonage next door. I didn’t need it so they rented it. One year we had a family which caused damage, didn’t pay the last two months of rent before the lease expired (which we did not renew). Fortunately they *left* although the church lost thousands on repairs plus lost rent. That family knew what they were doing. If you don’t mind moving every year you can never pay rent for the last two months.
–My mom has a few rental properties. During the pandemic one of her tenants couldn’t or wouldn’t pay rent. Could not evict during the pandemic. Several months later finally got the tenant evicted. My mom lost months of rent.
About two years ago there was a flood of news stories about squatters around the country. And how under the law there was almost nothing owners could do. Squatters can lie like crazy and sabotage efforts to regain control of the property. It’s astonishing and frightening how someone who knows the system can effectively steal a major asset like a home. The homeowner in this story has lost tens of thousands of dollars. And Romero removed Douglas’s personal property???
This is just bad law compounded by learned helplessness by local authorities. The sheriff’s department should have a vigorous civil division to implement evictions. And why does the law not allow armed self-help?
There are men available to solve this issue with little fuss for a couple of thousand dollars. Just hire them.
Heh.
Wouldn’t ya know?
https://x.com/i/status/1998517887053529483
If the courts consistently refuse to uphold the rights of the people then the people will ultimately resort to vigilante action. This will be unfortunate since pretty much every crime committed under those conditions becomes a capital offense.
Remember, the police are NOT there to protect the citizens. Without a time machine they cannot anticipate crimes. The police are there to protect the CRIMINALS from the citizens whose rights they violated.
If this abuse of legal tenancy continues there WILL be action taken. Here’s a prediction (NOTE: I am NOT advocating this, simply pointing out that it’s probable). A home owner will (legally) enter their own home and confront the squatter. Not recognizing them and with the weapon that the presumed burglar is carrying in their hand putting the owner into immediate danger of death or grievous bodily injury, the homeowner will draw their (permitted, of course) weapon and stop the attack on them by the presumed burglar. Of course, this will only occur when the homeowner is attempting a veneer of legality over what should be completely legal anyway. Most of ’em are just going to follow the “three S’s” and call it a day.