Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania
I bought a house for my son to live in. A guy that was down on his luck asked to stay.. I did not know this. My son allowed him to stay. The guy punched my son in the face when my son asked for rent to be given to me and had my son scared so my son hid my existence from this bully. My son does not reside there now. This guy refuses to sign a lease. Refuses to pay utilities. Refuses to do anything but live there off of me. I sent certified mail for him to vacate in 10 days. He said he wanted a rent to own...I drew up a contract.. he doesn't like it. Won't sign. Won't pay. I want him out of my place... I have no agreement with him. He lies and says he can get people to say we had a verbal etc. For two months I have been telling him to go... he keeps coming up with some plan to lease or lease to buy. He wants ridiculous things done to the house. Now he says there are bugs and my responsibility. I just want him out of there. He is on probation and is a sex offender. I do not want to deal with him. I think he is a trespasser but the cops say he has squatters rights since my son knew he was there. But I own the house and my son is no longer there. I know I have to file a complaint with the District Justice but meanwhile I cannot pay the utilities he is running up. Do I have to keep the utilities on? This is in Pennsylvania. I never had a lease with him nor have I gotten a cent payment from him. I want to shut off the utilities but the cops say no. They say I cannot even go to my own house. I do not understand this. I want this guy out. I cannot afford the utilities on him. Will I be in trouble if the utilities get shut off?
3 Answers from Attorneys
with or without a lawyer get to the district justice and tell your story, pay the fees and let them do their jobs.
You have every right to get the person out of your house. There is no such thing as squatter's rights.
This is not a District Justice matter. You need to file an "ejectment action" in Common Pleas Court in the county where the property is. Don't try this yourself. It requires closely following the statute and procedure requirements.
Consult with a lawyer who is familiar with this kind of law and has experience in this litigation.
THIS RESPONSE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, SINCE I DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED, AND I DO NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT WITH YOU.
* If the answers to your question confirm that you have a valid issue or worthwhile claim, your next step should almost always be to establish a dialog with a lawyer who can provide specific advice to you. Contact a lawyer in your county or township.
* Another reason for contacting a lawyer is that it is often impossible to give a good answer in the Internet Q&A format without having more information. The unique circumstances of your situation and things that you may not have thought to mention in your question may completely change the answer. If you want to be sure that you have a complete answer to your question and an understanding of what that answer means, establish a connection with a lawyer who practices in the area of your concern.
Both of the above lawyers give sound advice. Yes you could do this yourself or you could just hire a lawyer to get the wheels of justice working for you.
{John}
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