A California handyman who went viral for getting revenge on squatters who moved into his mother’s house has revealed how he kicked them out by crouching there himself.
Flash Shelton posted a video about his March victory in removing squatters from his mother’s home less than a day after his father’s death.
Shelton, the founder of the United Handyman Association, said he spent a weekend dissecting the laws and discovering his rights in the situation.
‘I actually found out that the squatters have no rights as long as there is no civil suit.
“So if I could switch places with them, become the squatter myself, I’d take over those squatter rights,” Shelton said.
He had already exhausted the use of local law enforcement, to no avail.
Flash Shelton posted a video about his victory in March when he removed squatters from his mother’s house in less than a day
Shelton, the founder of the United Handyman Association, said he spent a weekend dissecting the laws and discovering his rights in the situation
Shelton decided to take the concept of “squatter rights” into her own hands, almost like something out of a classic sitcom
“I called the local police and as soon as they saw there was furniture in the house they said I had a squatting situation and they basically had no jurisdiction and couldn’t do anything,” he said. Fox news Thursday.
That’s when he decided to take the concept of “squatter rights” into his own hands, almost like something out of a classic sitcom.
“I grabbed my jeep, drove over there and walked out of the tent around 4am. I waited. Around 8:00, 8:30 in the morning, three cars pulled into the driveway and I entered the house. I put up cameras and waited for them to come back,” he said.
When the family finally arrived, he set his plan in motion.
‘They didn’t have a lease, so that never played a role. But when they came back I just put it in front of them, told them it was all locked up, cameras, and that the only way they would get back into the house is if they broke in on camera, and I would prosecute. ‘
“I told them they had one day to get their stuff out or the furniture wouldn’t be theirs anymore.”
Shelton expressed frustration with laws in progressive cities like New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles that often favor squatters, saying similar legalese were at play.
“The law would prevent me from physically removing them,” he said. “Because I wasn’t the homeowner, though, I had more rights. As a tenant I would actually have more rights than they do.’
Shelton expressed frustration with laws in progressively run cities like New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles that often favor squatters, saying similar legalese were at play
More than 13,000 people have commented on his video since he posted it in January, with many thanking him for his “decency” while also doing business. Shelton did not show the faces of the two women crouched in his mother’s house
He says he’s trying to change these laws, but mostly works to help those who are facing the same issues.
‘I do Zoom consultations. I ask people to make a donation to charity. And if I can physically go out and help them, then so be it. It’s something I do now to help people, as much as I personally can,” Shelton said.
He launched one Change.org petition in an effort to make squatting illegal that has already garnered 7,500 signatures.
“This puts the burden of proof on the squatter and criminalizes the crime with restitution as an option for compensation,” he writes in the petition.
According to Shelton, a family of squatters broke into his mother’s vacant home several months ago and moved in.
Shelton said his father had recently passed away and they put the house up for rent because his mother couldn’t live there alone.
A woman who told Shelton she was a prison officer asked to rent the house, but he refused, saying she had no money or credit.
That didn’t seem to stop her though, as he later learned that a truck full of belongings had been brought to the house.
“She said it was delivered by mistake and she wanted to get rid of it,” Shelton said.
That was a lie, however, as Shelton later found out from friends and realtors that the house was full of people and furniture.
Shelton called the police and got an unhelpful answer.
“They basically said, ‘You know, I’m sorry, but we can’t get into the house and it looks like they live there.’ So you have to go through the courts,” Shelton said.
In his caption, the handyman said he was familiar with “squatter rights” stories, but was unaware that he would be personally involved in a situation.
“I had heard horror stories about how the justice system gives the squatter more rights than the homeowner, so I decided to figure out a way to get them out in less than a day,” Shelton wrote.
In his video, Shelton said his father had recently passed away and they put the house up for rent because his mother couldn’t live there alone.
“She said it was delivered by mistake and she wanted to get rid of it,” Shelton said of the squatters who had moved into his mother’s house.
“I’d heard horror stories about how the justice system gives the squatter more rights than the homeowner, so I decided to figure out a way to get them out in less than a day,” Shelton said.
After doing more research, the man said he found out how long it might take to go through court and evict the squatters.
Fed up with the situation, Shelton, who doesn’t live in Northern California where the home is located, got his car and drove to the property.
“Even though you’re at your house paying the mortgage… at some point squatters feel like they have more rights than you, so they have no reason to leave until a judge tells them to,” he said . said.
‘And that could take months, six months, it could take years. Don’t know. I didn’t want to take that risk,” Shelton said in the 20-minute video.
Shelton decided he would write a lease and credit himself as the occupant of the house.
He then parked his jeep with guns and his dog in the street where the house is and waited for hours for everyone to leave.
After watching all members of the family leave, he let himself in with his keys and then walked around the house and started installing security cameras.
While he was working outside, two women approached him. “I’m really sorry about all this,” one of the women said. “It’s a nightmare and beyond.”
Shelton calmly and coolly told the woman they had only hours to get it all out. He disguised their faces with a black and white filter in the clip he posted.
Shelton told the woman that if she didn’t finish everything by midnight, he would have it removed himself.
The threat seemed to work when the family was moved hours later.
“I think just being there was enough,” he said. “It was actually quite fun to do. I won’t lie about that. I’m glad it worked out.’
Fed up with the situation, Shelton, who doesn’t live in Northern California where the home is located, got his car and drove to the property.
“I’m really sorry about all this,” one of the women said. ‘It’s a nightmare and beyond’
Shelton calmly and coolly told the woman they had only hours to get it all out
Shelton told her that if she didn’t get everything by midnight, he’d have it picked up
His video has now inspired others across the country dealing with their own squatting situations to try and take matters into their own hands.
Despite becoming an inspiration, Shelton said he has to be extremely careful.
“I don’t recommend that everyone take a chance, as I did alone. It’s worth noting that I had special training, a license to carry and was prepared for any situation that might arise,” the handyman said.
“The men and women I dealt with remained peaceful and that may not always be the case. If you ever get into a situation like this, it’s best to expect the worst and be prepared.”