Stranger occupied property without consent

[Adedayo Adetunji]

I have a question on what to do? A stranger occupied my property which is in market for rent without consent in Detroit Michigan.

How do I move this stranger out immediately?

[Drew Sygit]

@Adedayo Adetunji people that break into a property & occupy it are called "squatters".

On September 24, 2014, three new Michigan Statutes went into effect to make squatting a crime and give landlords more options to remove them (see Michigan HB 5069/PA223, HB 5070/PA224, HB 5071/PA225). Squatters can now be locked out of a property and their possessions removed, but a landlord CANNOT physically remove the squatters themselves.

The local police are supposed to enforce these laws and assist landlords in removing squatters.

The reality is that when you call the Detroit Police to remove squatters:

1) The police often don’t know/care about squatter laws and state you must take the squatters to court to evict them. This happens 100% of the time a squatter presents a fake lease, deed or bill of sale.

2) It takes several hours, if not days, and multiple calls for the police to show up.

3) Even when they do show up and remove the squatters, the squatters sometimes break back in the same night. So, your property must be secured with deterrents to hopefully stop this from happening - but, it's impossible to guarantee security.