Squatters are ruining entire neighborhoods in Atlanta and police response to evict is so slow, some homeowners have resorted to paying nuisances to leave. Brazen squatters even opened an illegal strip club on a property they had taken over β one of the 1, homes which has been squatted in the city, according to the National Rental Home Council NRHC trade group.
Simon Frost, CEO of large-scale landlord Tiber Capital Group, said there have been incidents of unlawful occupants brandishing weapons and threatening neighbors, which affects the safety of neighborhoods and other residents, according to Bloomberg.
Evicting squatters in Atlanta is tough, involving negotiating court backlogs and strained police resources. Meanwhile, online listings and virtual real estate agents make it easy for squatters to identify vacant properties to break into. In October, an Atlanta neighborhood found itself at the center of a scandal involving squatters who transformed a home into an illegal strip club, complete with weekend parties and even live horses on the property.
Little did the neighbors know that the 4,square-foot, five-bedroom home with three bathrooms would become a den of illicit activity. The squatters ran the clandestine strip club, held noisy parties and even organized car races in the street, ruining the neighborhood for others, according to local reports.
Eventually a SWAT team had to clear out the house and recovered two stolen cars, a stolen weapon and stolen credit cards from the property, according to the local report. Squatters are allowed a wide range of rights once they have established legal occupancy, making it difficult to evict them.
