squatters

16 Stories

Squatters Killed Woman, Stuffed Her in Closet: NYC Cops

Suspects in Nadia Vitels' death arrested Friday in Pennsylvania

(Newser) - A woman visiting the vacant apartment of her deceased mother was assaulted and killed by two people squatting inside, say Manhattan police, who searched for the suspects for a week before arrests were announced Friday. Nadia Vitels' body, stuffed in a duffel bag, was discovered March 14 by her son,...

The Mansion Was Vacant, So Who Was Throwing the Parties?

'Curbed' unpacks the movie-like controversy that took place on a ritzy, Beverly Hills cul de sac

(Newser) - The realtor first knew something was hinky about the vacant mansion he had listed for $5 million near Beverly Hills when the pool guy called. It seems someone had pulled up in a U-Haul and moved in, and the pool guy wondered if he'd be kept on. Which was...

Court: Squatters Can Stay in Oligarch's Amsterdam Home

Group moved into sanctioned Russian tech billionaire's mansion last month

(Newser) - Squatters who moved into the Amsterdam mansion of a Russian tech billionaire last month can stay there for now, a Dutch court has decided. The five-story property in an upmarket neighborhood is owned by Arkady Volozh, co-founder of Yandex, Russia's biggest search engine, the Guardian reports. Heleen over de...

He Lived in Multiple Dorms at Stanford, Wasn't a Student

Squatter William Curry of Alabama was removed from California university's campus

(Newser) - If students living in the dorms at Stanford wondered why they never saw William Curry go to any of his premed classes, they now have an answer: He wasn't actually a student there. In what SFist describes as "a pretty odd story that has the makings of a...

Home Costs $800K, but You Can't Look in the Basement

Cash-only deal in Virginia involves house with apparent squatters

(Newser) - It's not your typical house listing: Five beds, four baths, two squatters in the basement. And yet the $800,000 home in Fairfax, Virginia, is now under contract for a price above asking, reports Fox5 DC . The listing didn't actually use the term squatters, but it was close,...

Moms Booted From Home That Wasn't Theirs Get Good News

Nonprofit land trust to buy Oakland residence from developer, let homeless evicted families back in

(Newser) - The homeless moms who were booted from a vacant residence in Oakland, Calif., will soon be able to call it home again. The members of activist group Moms 4 Housing had been served an eviction notice by Wedgewood Inc., a developer that specializes in flipping houses, and last week, sheriff'...

Homeless Moms Evicted From Vacant Home in 'Act of War'

'This isn't over'

(Newser) - Four people were arrested Tuesday when Alameda County Sheriff's deputies showed up to evict a group of homeless mothers who'd taken up residence in a vacant home in Oakland, Calif. NBC News and the Mercury News report that members of Moms 4 Housing, an activist group trying to...

Story of the 'Worst Roommate Ever' Is a Must-Read
Story of the 'Worst Roommate
Ever' Is a Must-Read
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 25, 2018 4:51 PM CST

Story of the 'Worst Roommate Ever' Is a Must-Read

Jamison Bachman terrorized a dozen roommates: longform

(Newser) - New York magazine calls it "the worst roommate story you'll ever read"—and that's no exaggeration, as many readers of the viral piece have pointed out on Twitter . William Brennan's harrowing longform on Jamison Bachman starts with the story of Alex Miller, a Philadelphia woman...

Body of Missing Toddler Found in Mother's 'Deplorable' Home

Police are calling the girl's death 'suspicious'

(Newser) - The body of a 1½-year-old girl was found at a "deplorable" Illinois home that she and her mother shared with squatters after her mother reluctantly allowed detectives inside to search and a day after she reported her daughter missing, police said Thursday. Deputy Chief Rick Ackerson said Semaj...

Squatters Turn $19M London Home Into Homeless Shelter

The nearly 200-year-old home was bought by a Russian oligarch in 2014

(Newser) - A group of squatters has seized an empty property on one of Britain's "most expensive and exclusive streets" and turned it into a homeless shelter, the Telegraph reports. According to the Guardian , the five-story, $19 million home was purchased by a Russian oligarch in 2014 but is believed...

Couple Wins 'Squatters' Rights' to Neighbor's Yard

Elderly couple has been tending the yard for 12 years

(Newser) - They say fences make good neighbors, but that definitely wasn't true for Hilary and Edward Kirkby. The British couple, who are 72 and 70, respectively, have spent the past 12 years tending to a stretch of yard in front of their Yorkshire home, which they bought in 1999. That...

Accused Squatter Files Restraining Order Against Homeowner

California woman has apparently done this before

(Newser) - A California homeowner says a squatter has not only taken over her Fair Oaks home but has filed a restraining order against her, Fox40 reports. Sandra Forbes says the woman moved in about two months ago without meeting her or getting permission. And while the alleged interloper produced a lease...

'World's Tallest Slum' Evicted
 'World's Tallest Slum' Evicted 
Jul 23, 2014 1:49 AM CDT

'World's Tallest Slum' Evicted

45-story Venezuelan tower housed thousands of squatters

(Newser) - The beginning of the end came for the world's tallest slum yesterday as officials began evicting thousands of squatters from a haphazard community inside a half-built skyscraper in Caracas known as the Tower of David. Soldiers and riot police stood by as dozens of residents boarded buses for their...

Mayor Tries to Run Off Roma With Music; Party Ensues

They eventually agree to leave, but not before thanking him for the tunes

(Newser) - A Belgium mayor's brilliant plan to run off a group of Roma camping in his town by playing loud music took an even more brilliant turn this morning, reports Reuters . It seems that the Roma had arrived Sunday in the town of Landen and struck an agreement to park...

Military Bikers Help Soldier Reclaim Old House

Squatters had taken over his Florida property

(Newser) - A soldier stationed in Hawaii got quite the surprise when told he could move back home to Florida with his wife: Squatters had moved into his house, and refused to leave. What's more, they were ex-convicts with 14 years of prison time between them. "They are criminals,"...

Venezuela Torn in Two After Chavez Urges Squatting

Some claim 'squatters' are actually gangs

(Newser) - Venezuela’s squatters have a friend in Hugo Chavez. Chavez has long encouraged poor Venezuelans to take over unused buildings and farms, but in January he made it official, issuing a decree authorizing those made homeless by floods to take over buildings and land. The results: a country polarized between...

16 Stories