A Landlord’s Near-Miss

Every landlord dreads the nightmare tenant—the one who moves in, stops paying immediately, and forces you into a grueling, months-long legal battle just to get your keys back.

Last year, I came face-to-face with the ultimate version of this threat: the serial squatter.

Not only did they try to infiltrate my rental property once, but they actually had the audacity to come back a second time under a different guise. Here is how a mix of intuition, strict screening policies, and a little bit of luck saved me from financial ruin.

Year 1: The Red Flag and the News Interview

It all started last year when I placed my property on the rental market. Almost immediately after receiving a fresh application inquiry, I got a bizarre and urgent warning from a local contact:

“Do not rent to these people. They are serial squatters. They never pay rent.”

Intrigued and suddenly on high alert, I decided to do some digital detective work. I Googled the applicant’s name and dug into the local Clerk of Courts website to look for any public legal records.

There it was in black and white: a pending eviction.

The legal pleadings were absolutely scandalous. This wasn’t just a tenant who fell on hard times; this guy was a professional. He had even given an interview to the local news station, publicly touting his unemployment status. 

Needless to say, I ghosted them—I just never responded. 

Year 2: The Pitch Changes, but the Players Stay the Same

Fast forward a year later. My previous tenants had just moved out, and I listed the property again. Right on cue, an inquiry popped up from a man named Jason B. At first, the name didn’t ring a bell.

His opening pitch sounded reasonable enough on the surface, but it quickly devolved into a classic stall tactic:

“Nancy, are you interested in renting this property on a short-term basis for a month and then a long-term basis starting next month? I am receiving a moving stipend to help with the deposit and the first month’s rent but will not have the stipend until a few weeks from now. We need to find a short-term rental in the meantime pretty immediately and can pay for that on our own…”

We went back and forth. The core of his argument? He wanted the keys to move in now, but couldn’t pay the security deposit until later.

As a rule, I don’t bend on my screening process. I held the line and told him my hard requirements: a comprehensive background check, a minimum 700 credit score, and the full deposit paid in full before any keys changed hands.

The sob story continued. Recognizing the pattern of someone trying to bypass standard leasing laws, I stopped the conversation and simply sent him a link to my VRBO/Airbnb listings. If he wanted a short-term stay without a traditional lease, he could book it through a platform that protected my property. Unsurprisingly, he disappeared.

The Plot Thickens: Enter the Wife

A few weeks later, a woman named Brooke emailed me about the same listing. Her approach was much more formal, leaning heavily on institutional backing:

“Hello, My family is very interested in this property… We have been approved for housing assistance that will cover our move-in costs and first month’s rent. The funding organization has advised us that the funds should be available within approximately 1-2 weeks, but they require proof that we have identified a property before they can finalize payment. We would like to know whether the owner would consider a lease agreement or letter of intent…”

When I replied and explained that this was a fully furnished rental typically reserved for out-of-town travelers, Brooke quickly pivoted.

She claimed her family was building a luxury home in the area, had all their belongings in storage, and just needed a temporary place to stay while construction finished.

Red Flag Alert. Her story made absolutely zero sense. Why would a family wealthy enough to custom-build a home be receiving emergency government housing assistance to cover a first month’s rent?

Then came the kicker: “Can my husband, Jason, give you a call?”

The name clicked. I ran back to my archive of inquiries from the year before and cross-referenced the names, emails, and details.

It was them. The exact same serial squatters from Year One had returned with a tag-team strategy, trying to use a wife’s name and a fake story about building a house to slip past my radar.

Takeaways for Landlords

This experience was a massive reminder that professional squatters know exactly how to manipulate the system—and how to manipulate you. Here is what kept me safe:

• Never waive the deposit: A request to move in before paying the deposit or first month’s rent is the single biggest indicator of a future eviction.
• Trust the paperwork, not the story: Stories change (moving stipends, housing assistance, building a house). Government court records and credit scores do not lie.
• Keep historical records: Don’t just delete old bad inquiries. Keep a log of names, phone numbers, and emails. You never know when they will try to circle back under a different family member’s name.

Stay vigilant, trust your gut, and stick to your screening rules!