Squatters in Philadelphia have become a major issue, causing a lot of problems for property management companies and landlords. In most cases, the police do not seem to be concerned with resolving these issues, leaving homeowners to face lengthy and costly legal battles.
Walter Lapidus, an owner of Anchor Realty NE, stated that they might have a court order to remove a squatter, but if the squatter refuses to leave, the police often refuse to escalate the conflict. This leads to a lengthy and expensive process to get these people out.
According to Megan Spangler of Anchor Realty NE, it can cost upwards of $3,500 to begin the court process to remove squatters from a residence plus $1,600 to actually move the suspects out and store their belongings for a month. This can take almost a year to get resolved, which is a major problem for property owners.
