Disclaimer: In the following story, people moved into a rental home without permission or were scammed. When tenants move into a rental after being scammed by other shady people, they often move out right away and accept the fact that they fell victim to scamming. The people in this story did not. 

GC Realty & Development did not participate in the scenario below. Names have been changed and any likeness to another shady person is strictly coincidental, and also is an indication of exactly how many dirtbags are there out there. So, beware!  

“Landlord Jim” showed up at his vacant rental home on a Saturday afternoon. The single family rental home was located in a blue collar Chicago neighborhood on the southwest side.

Jim had just prescreened an applicant for the vacant home the day before and was meeting the applicant there for a scheduled showing.

But, when Jim arrived and opened the front door, he realized it was unlocked already. Then he saw the front room had a mattress and some boxes and bags stacked in it. He was dumbfounded.   

At first, Jim thought he’d opened the wrong front door. After all, he’d just walked half a block from where he’d parked his car and had been on his phone. Jim figured maybe he’d just been distracted and accidentally entered a neighbor’s unlocked front door. 

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Right House, Unwanted “Tenant”

Jim confirmed the house number. This was his place all right. He immediately went into panic mode. Only 48 hours before Jim had been there showing the house to another potential applicant. Two days ago, his house was certainly vacant.  

A few seconds passed and Jim charged through the front door. He was met by a 6’-2” 300-pound guy in the hallway leading to the kitchen. Before Jim could say a word, the man blurted out: “I have a lease so get out.”  

Out of fear, Jim retreated to the front yard. The man slammed the door and chained it up behind him. The chain drew Jim’s attention. He’d never had a chain on the door before. Upon closer inspection, those weren’t even his locks on the front door anymore. 

Calling for Legal Reinforcements

Jim quickly called the Chicago police who arrived 30 minutes later. They spoke with Jim on the street and the tenant at the door. Finally, the officers told Jim: “This is a civil matter and he has a lease.”

Only he didn’t have a lease. At least not with Jim. 

Jim’s next call was to his attorney. His attorney advised Jim to try to gain more information. The attorney also advised that he serve notice, which he could use if he needed to take legal action.  

Neither of these calls resulted in the desired result: immediately removing the squatter from his property. 

Understanding the Risky Situation

Finally, Jim called another landlord friend and shared his situation. The friend explained the unfortunately common scenario, what was happening, and the risks. 

Jim was shocked to learn that it could take 6-10 months to get his guy out of his property. During that time, who knew what kind of damage he would cause.  

Jim found this totally unacceptable. So, he went back the next day and knocked on the door (ahem, HIS door). 

This time a larger woman, almost the size of the man the prior day, opened the door just a crack. She held the door closed with the chain lock that hadn’t been on the door just 72 hours earlier.  

The woman acted standoffish and simply said she knew her rights. Then she told Jim he needed to leave before she called the police on him. 

Jim couldn’t believe what was going on here.  

Involving the Neighbors

On that same trip, Jim spent the next few hours talking to neighbors. They quickly became angry after understanding the situation happening just feet from their own homes. As long-term homeowners, the neighbors had felt safe in their community because they knew each other. This changed things. 

At first, a few neighbors were upset with Jim for letting this happen. However, they quickly realized it was in their best interest to help Jim. Everyone banded together. 

One neighbor had a security camera that caught footage of the squatters moving in a few days before. 

The good news: it appeared as though just two people with only a pickup truck bed worth of stuff had moved in. This was a sign they didn’t belong there or had been scammed themselves. 

The bad news: The couple had gone through the back door. And while Jim discovered damage to the door trim, the neighbor's security camera hadn’t caught the break-in on film. If Jim had had footage of them breaking in, this would’ve become a criminal case. 

Jim knew the police wouldn’t help. The legal system had already failed him. If he wanted to solve this, and solve it quickly, he had to take matters into his own hands. The neighbors agreed to help. So, they spent the next few days coming up with a plan. 

Planning Desperate Measures for a Desperate Time

Over the next few days, the neighbors watched the house 24/7. They still only saw two people living there. The squatters had one car with temporary plates. Watching for patterns, Jim and the neighbors saw that both the man and the woman left the house each day, but never at the same time. 

Jim and the neighbors brainstormed one hair-brained idea after another. The goal was to come up with a plan that had as little risk as possible and didn’t involve any Looney-Tunes Acme products.  

By Day 8, they finally landed on the winning crazy plan. They agreed to put it into action the next day.  

At 2 p.m. the following afternoon, Jim showed up in the back alley behind his garage. With him he had three armed security guards, four neighbors, and lots of accelerants. This plan had to work.

The Neighbor Who Cried Fire

Shortly after 2 p.m., one of the neighbors ran to the front door of Jim’s house. They pounded on the door and yelled: “Fire! Fire! Fire!” 

The squatter woman opened the front door just enough, with the chain still on, and gave them attitude. Undeterred, the neighbor kept yelling “Fire!” and pointed to the side and back yard.  

Through the cracked open front door, the accomplice neighbor watched the woman run to the middle of the home. A look of terror covered her face when she looked out a window facing the backyard. The squatter woman grabbed her purse and dropped some of its contents on the floor as she ran out the front door, leaving it wide open.  

The accomplice neighbor helped escort the squatter woman to the street. Once at the curb, the woman turned around and saw seven men entering through the wide-open front door. A 6’-6” 400-pound man stood guard.  

The squatter knew she’d been played. The seven men quickly gathered all the belongings in the house, which only amounted to half a dozen trips. They deposited the items on the curb next to the woman.  

Meanwhile, the panicked woman was screaming about how she knew her rights and that everyone was in trouble. She called someone on her cell phone, screaming and crying. They assumed she’d called the squatter man.  

Since the squatters just had one car, the woman gathered their things and walked away, leaving the mattress behind. 

At 10 p.m. that night, the man and woman tried to return; however, the guard Jim had hired found them in the backyard. The guard told the squatters they were now trespassing and called the police. This time when the police arrived, Jim filed a report against them for creeping on the property.  

Where There’s Smoke…

So what happened to the fire that made the woman flee out the front door?

The physical house was never set on fire and no one was ever in harm's way. But the theatrics, potential pyrotechnics, and the collaboration Jim had with the neighbors amounted to something out of the Oceans 11 script.  

That morning (Day 9 of the squatter standoff), Jim and his neighbors arranged seven 50-gallon drums and 50 Illinois-legal smoke bombs in the backyard. 

Each drum contained charcoal and accelerants and, once ignited, shot flames 6 feet in the air above the top of the barrels. Other neighbors simultaneously lit smoke bombs planted in the window sills, window wells, doorways, and in the gutters. 

For all intents and purposes, anyone would’ve thought the place looked “on fire.”   

A Better Way

Landlord Jim’s vindication makes for a great story, but we’re willing to bet you’d rather not attempt anything so dramatic yourself. 

Instead, a respected Chicago property management company can screen applicants, place tenants, and deal with any other wild adventures for you. Contact GC Realty & Development to learn more. Smoke bombs and security guards not included. 

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