The perfect con has struck the heart of Houston, Texas, as a homeowner regained control of her house after finding squatters trespassing on her property, changing the locks, and producing a fake lease. The case highlights the perils of being a landlord and the unexpected consequences of squatter rights.
Linda Giang, the homeowner, told ABC 13 that she discovered a family of five living in her Meyerland home last month. “They locked me out of my own property. That’s insane!” Giang exclaimed. After visiting her rental property listed at $3,600 per month, Giang was met with a family who claimed to have a legitimate lease contract. She had been alerted to the situation by a letter from the neighborhood homeowner’s association, which requested that she clean up the leaves accumulated on her driveway.
“They broke into my house. They’re trespassing,” Giang declared, as the squatters tried to convince her that their ‘contract’ entitled them to live in the house. The document, however, listed neither Giang nor her husband as the landlord and instead identified the squatters as renters.
Since Giang first discovered the situation, the squatters had been living on air mattresses in the home and had changed the locks twice. “That should be a criminal trespass. They’re violating my privacy. This is my property,” she argued.
The family, on the other hand, claimed to have paid a realtor to rent the property. “I’m not trespassing. I have a lease, and I paid $6,000,” insisted Tamisha Holmes-Bey, the supposed ringleader of the squatters. Holmes-Bey claimed she and her children had moved from California to “start a new life” and that she was unaware of “what’s going on.”
However, public records obtained by the DailyMail painted a different picture, revealing Holmes-Bey as a serial squatter who had lived in Texas for decades and been evicted from homes three times since 2019. The records also showed her involvement in numerous civil and criminal proceedings in Bell, Travis, and Fort Bend counties.
In Texas, squatters have basic rights, including the ability to move into a home through various means, such as simply taking it over and maintaining the property. Giang contacted local police, but they told her that there was nothing they could do because it was a civil matter. Fortunately, the squatters left on their own accord, avoiding a lengthy civil case that could have taken months or even years to resolve.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers and challenges that come with being a landlord, as well as the sometimes surprising extent of squatter rights. As we grapple with this shocking case, it is essential to consider whether our current policies and regulations adequately protect property owners and landlords from such situations. If not, we must advocate for meaningful change to ensure that all parties involved in property ownership and rental can enjoy a sense of security and fairness.
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Sources: Scallywagandvagabond, ABC 13
