A Georgia woman who went to say her final goodbyes to her family home before it was sold found a family of squatters living there, and now can’t get them out.
Dena Everman of Marietta, Georgia had lived in her home for 11 years, reports USA Today. She had sold the house and was expecting the sale to close on June 26, so she went by to say her final farewell on June 25. She didn’t expect to find a family living in her house.
The family living there claims they rented the home lawfully and have the keys and documents to prove it.
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Tamera Pritchett, her fiancé and two children were excited to move into the new home they found for rent on Craigslist. After signing e-documents and wiring money to the person they thought was their new landlord, they received a set of keys and moved in.
When Everman discovered the family was living in her home without her permission, she notified the authorities who told her getting the trespassers to leave would not be as easy as one might think.
“I found out the past week there is some archaic law that says if someone sets up residence in your home, it doesn’t matter how they get in there, they have rights until we evict them,” Everman told news station KFOR.
Pritchett claims she had no idea anything was wrong until the police showed up. The next day the mom of two went to the Cobb County courthouse and was told she could stay until Everman evicts her reported Atlanta news station WSB-TV.
Eviction can take four to six weeks.
Pritchett says she is looking for a new home, but since they just spent $3,000 on renting Everman’s house it may take some time.
“I hope this shows everyone that this can happen to anybody. I’m hoping this shows people that you can’t trust everything over the Internet,” Pritchett told USA Today.
Update: The squatters, according to Pritchett, are now out.
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[Feature Photo: Facebook]