Squatters Take Over Elderly Home

Squatters, a term used to describe someone who takes over the ownership of someone’s house by staying in their house long enough to be considered a resident, allegedly took over the home of Colorado Springs residents this past week. William and Arlene Towns, a couple well into their 70s, are now fighting what they are considering to be squatters to win back their home of 50 years.

Squatters have become legal trouble nationwide, people who find loopholes in property law by staying in a house for over a month. By definition, once they stay in the house for over a month and get mail delivered, they are the legal tenants of the property.

This is especially difficult to deal with for landlords, as they now have to go through the eviction process. This tale is no different for William and Arlene. 

     “Living on a fixed income, William and Arlene cannot afford the extravagant legal costs, while the squatters receive free legal aid,” says a GoFundMe post, supporting William and Arlene. The squatters have also been accused of running the water and lights unnecessarily to give the Towns “skyrocketing utility bills”. 

     The squatter was originally presumed to be a homeless lady, offering to do chores, with whom William had trusted. The daughters state that the lady had “taken advantage of our dad and his compromised mental state and now has moved many of her belongings into his home.” The couple is currently living off of their social security checks, hoping that the law will do them justice. 

Photo Credits: Yahoo! News