My contractors were harassed at a unit at my mobile home park. There are some people who say that that’s their home. That home was abandoned and transferred to me at closing, and it’s been abandoned for a long time. Now they are saying I’m getting arrested. They are obviously being crazy thinking that their abandoned home is still theirs. I got in touch with the closing attorney and waiting to hear back from them. What is the best solution here to get those people to stop harassing the contractors?
It’s not clear if you are speaking with your attorney or the title company attorney’s - but be careful. Title Co. attorneys are looking out for the title company’s interests and will usually only tell you they cannot help you because you do not have a title policy claim until you take a ton of steps to prove you have one.
Keep us posted how this goes - I have not yet heard of an adverse possession case on personal property. I know with real property it’s a freaking nightmare.
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They are trespassing on my land threatening my contractors, and threatening to call the police. If anything, I need to call the police for them trespassing. Would the title company attorney give me the document needed for me to take this to court? How do I keep them from threatening my property, contractors, and myself?
No, a title company attorney will not help you build the case to file a title claim against their employer. You need your own attorney that represents you. They can guide you on these items. The police can also help you with trespassing matters, as you suggested.
This is all state and locally enforced so you need local help, not interwebs help.
When I said “docs” from the closing attorney is the warranty deed and bill of sale docs.
If it was transferred to me through a bill of sale at closing, what documentation should I obtain to show proof of my ownership? Where can I obtain that?
Assuming it’s your home, your land, then it’s up to them to prove otherwise. Call the police and have them whine to the police. No trespassing, etc.
“I’m going to sue you all the way to the Supreme Court for seizing my house! Also, thank you for all the improvements.” <-- this will not be working.
They showed the police a sale doc somehow and the police is requesting some sort of doc from me. I am trying to get in contact with the closing attorneys for my docs to prove ownership. I know the seller didn’t have title and it was transferred to me through a bill of sale at closing.
I told the police that they cannot trespass my land, and the police told me that since it’s their home (they have the police some docs), they can come here…
@Jhu79, as per your post:
- “My contractors were harassed at a unit at my mobile home park.”
- “There are some people who say that that’s their home.”
- “The home was abandoned and transferred to me at closing”
What state is the Mobile Home Park located?
In South Carolina our Mobile Homes have Mobile Home Titles from the Department Of Motor Vehicles (similar to vehicles…both are technically “mobile”).
In South Carolina in order to get Title to an Abandoned Mobile Home the Mobile Home Park Owner must go through an Abandonment Process.
Part of this Abandonment Process is contacting the Department Of Motor Vehicles to see who the Owner of record is. The Owner of record must be contacted along with other steps.
At the end of the process the Magistrate’s Court does a Sale of the Abandoned Mobile Home. Anyone can bid on the Mobile Home. However, if no one bids over the amount owed to the Mobile Home Park Owner, then the Mobile Home Owner gets new Title to the Mobile Home.
From your post it sounds like you are in a different state with different processes and rules.
We wish you the very best!
Do a search on “squatters”. They are insidious criminals that are usually enabled by the legal system. Depending on your state they are very difficult to get rid of. Your best option may be to start charging them lot rent. $1000 per month may make them rethink squatting. Worse case if they don’t pay you can evict.
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That’s a good option. The inside condition is so terrible. There’s not much left. They own a home nearby and they might not be squatters. But I am planning on evicting them immediately. If they do own the home - eviction. If they don’t - have the police involved. Win-win for me.
Can I get a restraining order again them if they keep coming to harass my contractors, new tenant, or my park? I actually just found many evidence that they are lying. I have the vehicle abandonment doc proving the previous owner repossessed the home, and then the home was transferred to me at closing through a bill of sale. Do I need to sue them through a civil court and get a restraining order from my property? Suggestions, guys?
Straighten out the documentation and show it to the police. Once you convince them you are the legal owner talk to them about taking out a no trespass order against them. This is usually the simplest solution and is just a matter of filling out paper work and having the police deliver it to them. You can then have them arrested and charged if they violate the order.
Get with them and give them a couple of hundred bucks to get lost of pay an attorney a few thousand. Take your pick.
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I disagree. This is usually the solution that most people underuse, so good for you to suggest but here I’d get with the chief of police and explain your situation. People can generally be reasonable when they know the evidence is there to follow through.
Incidentally, if they own the home then you have the right to demand rent or a “storage fee” – so for them it’s damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t.
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Exactly. Working with the police now and will update you guys when it’s sorted out. Things are looking though now that I have all the paper work in hand.
Looking good I meant *
As park owner we will NOT do ANY thing to a home we do not have title too. Do you have a title to the home??? Why not?? Another reason at a closing if homes are being transferred to you have seller provide a Clean Title! Back and forth insults are useless and can be dangerous if the so-called owned calls the police for harassment on your part.
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What makes you think the home is yours? You said it was transferred to you at closing but was it? I assume you do not legally own the home otherwise, you would have shown the title to the police when they asked for proof.
Just because you have a contract or bill of sale from the owner of the park saying the park and homes are being sold to you does not mean that they were legally sold to you.
Your title agent probably is not insuring title to mobile homes - just the real estate.
So, let’s go with the assumption that you think you own the home, but you in fact do not. The home is owned by some unknown entity and it has been abandoned for years. First, you have to find the legal owner using a title search. This is as simple as finding the VIN, filling out an information request form at your state’s motor vehicle agency, and requesting the identity and last known address of the owner.
Then, once you know the owner, you can begin to proceed with the abandoned property process in your state. Once you complete that process, you will have a title to the home, and it is then yours.
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In what state the park is located? For example in NYS all mobile homes that are 1994 model year or older are title exempt. DMV started titling mobile homes since 1995, therefore only homes from 1995 and newer will have or require a title.