Flash Shelton, a handyman from Nevada, California, recently found himself in a situation where he had to play squatters at their own game after they took over his mother’s house.
His mom had put the property up for rent after her husband’s passing, and a woman who claimed to be a prison guard expressed her interest in becoming a tenant.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the woman showed up at the house with all her belongings, despite her application being rejected due to her lack of money and credit.
She claimed that her things had been delivered to the property “by accident” and had already moved in by the time Flash had found out about it.
Despite contacting the local sheriff’s office, Flash was told that there was nothing they could do.
He was left with no other option but to take matters into his own hands.
“All I needed to do at that point was do the same thing they did, and occupy the house,” he said. “If they can take a house, I can take a house.”
Flash’s first step was to have his mother write up a lease agreement naming him as the legal resident of the property since the house wasn’t in his name.
He then loaded up his Jeep, took his gun “just in case,” and made the 12-hour drive up to the house in northern California.
When he arrived at the property at 4 am, Flash saw that there were cars in the driveway and realized he stood out like a sore thumb.
He parked a few houses down the street and slept in his car until morning.
At around 9 am, he returned and saw that the cars were gone. “Taking a chance that everybody’s out,” he then entered the home using his keys.
After spending some time looking around the house and feeling “shocked” at the amount of stuff that had been moved in, a woman and her granddaughter arrived.
Flash filmed their encounter and informed them that they needed to move their belongings out immediately, warning them that if they didn’t do so by midnight that same day, he would report them to the police for trespassing.
The woman insisted she hadn’t been living there, but eventually, she agreed to vacate the property, which she did by 3 am the following morning.
Fellow YouTubers praised Flash’s “respectful” approach, with one writing, “I can’t believe how calm you were through this. I don’t think I could have been so nice.”
Another commented, “They had money to buy nice furniture, rent a truck. They left in the morning like they had jobs. There were not homeless people. They should go to jail.”
A third complained, “The fact that the law gives these squatters rights is totally INSANE! Clearly, our lawmakers can put laws in place to deal with squatters, but instead, they choose to put all types of laws in place to protect squatters and other non-payers!”
In a follow-up video, Flash advised viewers not to follow in his footsteps, stressing, “Not everyone should walk through that door not knowing what you’re gonna find. It’s not always going to be peaceful like that.”
Flash also stated that he had no intention of giving up his day job, despite being told by realtors that he could make “tons of money” from turfing squatters out of people’s homes.
The situation that Flash found himself in is unfortunately not uncommon.
Squatting is a growing problem worldwide, and many people find themselves having to take matters into their own hands when authorities are unable to help. However, it’s important to remember that playing squatters at their own game is not always the best course of action. It’s essential to seek legal advice and support before taking any action to avoid breaking the law.
