HOA Home Squatters Lock Out Property Owner In Houston

A family of HOA home squatters has taken over a Houston property, locking out the real owner in the process. But the police won’t intervene, claiming that it is a civil matter.

A Shocking Discovery

Linda Giang and her husband are the owners of a house in Meyerland, Houston, as listed in real estate records. They put the home up for rent for $3,600 a month.

Earlier this month, Giang received a letter from her HOA saying she had to remove the leaves from her driveway. Giang sprung to action and paid a visit to the property. But, when they entered the home, they were shocked to discover people living there.

“I had the keys with me and walked in and discovered a family of five living in there,” Giang told local news. “And she says she has a lease contract and actually emailed me the lease contract.”

The contract in question does not list Giang nor her husband as the property owners or landlords. Instead, the contract reflects a third person as the landlord — a person who does not, in any way, own the home. Apart from that, the contract also reflects the names of four people who claim to have the authorization to live there, including a woman named Tamisha Bey.

No Action from the Police

Upon returning to the home recently, Giang discovered that the HOA home squatters had changed the locks. They had locked her out of her own home.

“They broke into my house. They’re trespassing. That should be a criminal trespass. They’re violating my privacy. This is my property,” Giang said.

She and her neighbors approached Houston police to report the incident. They also reported it to the Precinct 5 deputy constable’s office. However, both agencies offered no help, saying that the issue was a civil matter.

Security footage showed about four or five people exiting the home and talking to Precinct 5 deputies. The deputies left the property without issuing tickets — not even so much as a warning. The same footage showed locksmiths changing the locks on the home without Giang’s consent.

One of the people living in the home claimed not to know what was going on. She also claims that she paid a realtor $6,000 in rent to live there and, therefore, is not trespassing.

A Case of Eviction

Attorney Brian Cweren, who specializes in eviction cases, disagrees with the assessment of police officers. Cweren does not think this is a civil issue. He believes that there is clear evidence that these trespassers broke into the home.

“I don’t think we need to evict someone who’s clearly a trespasser. If you look at different factors, this person went in by force, there’s signs of forced entry, there’s no rental history, there’s no discussion of rental history between the actual landlord and the person claiming to be a tenant,” Cwered said.

Giang has already filed paperwork to process the eviction. But, she still believes that law enforcement should investigate the matter.