Orlando Sentinel
How to get your own mansion — by squatting
Andre Barbosa is squatting in style.
The 23-year-old has moved into an empty $2.5 million mansion in a posh Boca Raton neighborhood, using an obscure Florida real estate law to stake his claim on the foreclosed waterside property.
The police can’t move him. No one saw him breaking into the 5-bedroom house, so it’s a civil matter. And representatives for the real owner, Bank of America, said they are aware of the situation and are following a legal process.
But the situation is driving his wealthy neighbors crazy.
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Florida baby! Gotta love it.
Steven McGregor on January 25, 2013 at 7:39 AM
Making people with lots of money angry is not a life-prolonging move, bucko.
MelonCollie on January 25, 2013 at 7:41 AM
“Let me introduce you to my little friend!”
ExpressoBold on January 25, 2013 at 8:10 AM
It’s the heat! It bakes people’s minds!
*laughs maniacally*
BigGator5 on January 25, 2013 at 8:18 AM
At least it’s a dry heat.
Odysseus on January 25, 2013 at 8:50 AM
Hey – I think this is obama’s plan – if he can just squat in the White House for seven years – HE OWNS IT!
Pork-Chop on January 25, 2013 at 8:50 AM
Adverse possession is not an ‘obscure’ Florida law and some form of it exists in every state. One of the requirements in Florida is that the property taxes must be paid over the course of the seven years required. In this case, they are probably around $25,000
per year, and a tax deed sale can be ordered after two years from the first missed payment, whenever that was. He would also need some claim, or color of title, which means at least a document that appears to show ownership but is legally deficient in some way.
Unless this guy wants to spend a fortune in taxes and legal fees, he’s not going to be there much longer.
RadClown on January 25, 2013 at 9:06 AM
Here in Texas, they’ve thrown people in jail for breaking and and entering, burglary, and grand larceny for attempting to use adverse possession to scam their way into homes.
Ward Cleaver on January 25, 2013 at 9:34 AM
Someone needs to intercept his EBT card and starve him out.
Do you know in places these people have destroyed the property? Property that does not belong to them. And they take things. THAT alone is stealing.
Bank of America, once again sounds like the enabler of social justice schemes. Them, with their board full of Clinton Administration hacks.
Do you notice, this criminal has decided to squat in a fine neighborhood with law abiding people? He couldn’t choose some obscure ranch house in forclosure…Because He Is Greedy.
Fleuries on January 25, 2013 at 9:41 AM
All he needs is a bridge loan to finance all the costs of quieting title and he can then sell it for about $2M in pre-income tax profit.
blammm on January 25, 2013 at 9:49 AM
I’m surprised squatters in Texas aren’t simply found perforated by bullet holes and nobody has any idea whodunit.
MelonCollie on January 25, 2013 at 9:55 AM
That won’t work because he has no claim to title. You can’t just walk onto any vacant property and take it by adverse possession unless you have some sort of documentation that shows, or appears to show a right to title. He doesn’t have that and has nothing to sell.
RadClown on January 25, 2013 at 9:57 AM
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. The place doesn’t belong to him and yet he’s in there. How else could he have gotten in there other than to break in?
Bitter Clinger on January 25, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Who’s going to give him a loan? He’s a year and a half into a seven year quest. The second he physically leaves the property, to go get groceries or clothes or whatever, if I’m the bank I board it back up and have security watching for him to break and enter. With video, which I can bring to the police.
If he’s got the resources to order in for 5 and 1/2 years, it’s not cheap.
rbj on January 25, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Not in Florida, it ain’t!
GWB on January 25, 2013 at 10:25 AM
That’s right. Legalities aside, no lender or investor would touch this with a ten foot pole. There’s plenty of less risky and cheaper ways to buy foreclosures than this mess. If anything, I would offer BofA 10 cents on the dollar for their interest and evict the guy myself.
RadClown on January 25, 2013 at 10:35 AM
Ooooh. I see a reality show in the offing: sort of a Dog The Bounty Hunter meets This Old House! Count me in!
GWB on January 25, 2013 at 10:40 AM
It wouldn’t be very interesting. Trust me, going to court and then having the county Sheriff show up doesn’t make for good TV.
RadClown on January 25, 2013 at 10:51 AM