'Serial Squatters' Cost Homeowners Thousands

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OUT THE RAIN CHANCES AND 60% THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON, THIS IS WHAT PARENTS WANT TO KNOW, START OUT AT 60% AND WE DROPPED TO 30% BY 9 PM, A SOGGY TRICK-OR-TREAT TIME, WE DO WARM OUT A FEW WE WILL HAVE THAT COMING UP. I LIKE TO CALL THEM SERIAL SQUATTERS, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO. HERE IS A TEXAS COUPLE OUT THERE PLAYING AN AGGRAVATING GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE WITH PEOPLE'S HOMES, THEY MOVE IN AND THEN REFUSED TO MOVE OUT OWING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. OUR CONSUMER JUSTICE INVESTIGATOR IS JOINING US NOW AND YOU'VE SPENT MONTHS WORKING ON THIS? I WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO HEATHER AND WILLIAM SCHWAB WHO HAVE BEEN GETTING EVICTED SINCE 2005 AND HAVE BEEN KICKED OUT OF EIGHT HOMES IN 2 YEARS AND THEY KEEP MOVING INTO NICER AND MORE EXPENSIVE PLACES. I SPENT 2 HOURS WITH THEM. Reporter: CHRISTINE WAS TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT FAMILY TO RENT HER FATHER'S HOME. WE DID ONE OF THESE FOR HOURS, IT WASN'T LIKE YOURS YOUR KEYS, COME IN. Reporter: EVERYTHING ON THEIR APPLICATION CHECKED OUT FROM SALARY TO RENTAL HISTORY. Reporter: HOW MUCH WAS RENT? OVER $2000. Reporter: THE CHECK BOUNCED AND EXCUSES STARTED. ERIC'S GRANDMOTHER DIED, CPS IS COMING OVER, I GOT FIRED, YOU CAN ONLY GO SO FAR WITH THE STORY, I WAS BORN AT NIGHT, NOT LAST NIGHT. Reporter: SHE STARTED THE EVICTION PROCESS. THERE IS A PROCESS AND THE WEIRD THING IS IT BUYS THEM MORE TIME. Reporter: THE SHRUBS MOVED IN IN JULY AND WERE KICKED OUT 5 MONTHS LATER. THERE WAS STUFF EVERYWHERE, THEY SMOKED IN THE HOUSE, MY POOL IS MOUNTAIN DEW GREEN. Reporter: THEY OWE HER MORE THAN $7000. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD LEASE TO SOMEONE WITH ALL OF THESE EVICTIONS. Reporter: SHE HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY HAD BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS, COURT RECORDS SHOW THEY WERE EVICTED 14 TIMES BEFORE MOVING INTO HER HOME, FORMER LANDLORDS SAID THEY USE FAKE INFORMATION AND WORK THE SYSTEM TO STAY AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THEY BRING SEVERAL KIDS AND PETS ALONG WITH THEM. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS HOW? Reporter: RECORD SHOW THAT THEY WERE EVICTED TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE MOVING INTO DUSTIN AND ARLENE HARRISON'S HOME IN CARROLLTON. THEY MADE A BIG DEAL LIKE WE NEED TO GET IN QUICKLY. THEY CLAIMED THEY WERE MILITARY VETERANS. Reporter: THEY ALSO CLAIM TO BE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. THE FIRST CHECK WAS NO GOOD. IT BOUNCED AND THEY WERE ALREADY IN. Reporter: HE KEPT COVERING RENTS AND GIVING THEM MORE TIME. I AM A GOOD OLD EAST TEXAS BOY AND I HELPED OUT. Reporter: THEN THEY STARTED GETTING FORECLOSURE NOTICES. WE WERE PAYING MORTGAGES ON THE HOME THEY WERE SQUATTING IN. Reporter: THEY TRIED TO EVICT THEM. THEY KNOW MORE THAN WE DO SO I CONTACTED A LAWYER. THEY ARE SERIAL SQUATTERS. Reporter: THEY HIRED AN ATTORNEY AND HE HAD KNOWN THEM FROM EVICTING THEM IN A HOME IN LOUISVILLE. THEY KNOW EVICTION LOT AS WELL AS MANY ATTORNEYS. Reporter: THEY WERE KICKED OUT 7 MONTHS AFTER MOVING IN. THE ANIMALS PETE EVERYWHERE, IT WAS GROSS. THANKS TO THEM THEIR CREDIT IS HORRIBLE AS WELL -- THEY LEFT THE HOME AND MOVED INTO A HOUSE 1 MILE AWAY AND THEY WERE EVICTED, THEY MOVED .9 MILES FROM THE HOME AND WERE EVICTED AGAIN. THESE PEOPLE ARE CHRONICALLY VICTIMIZING AND NO ONE IS HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. Reporter: WE FOUND THEY MOVED INTO A GATED COMMUNITY IN FRISCO, LIVING IN A $450,000 HOME, THEY GOT EVICTED, THEY MOVED .3 MILES AWAY TO ANOTHER HOME IN THE SAME DEVELOPMENT. WE TRACKED DOWN HEATHER OUTSIDE OF COURT ON A BAD CHECK CHARGE. Reporter: WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR EVICTIONS, WE FOUND 20 OVER THE LAST 17 YEARS. Reporter: FIRST SHE CLAIMED IGNORANCE. YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND DO NOT PAY RENT AND YOU GO TO MORE EXPENSIVE HOMES WHEN YOU OWE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I HAVE NO IDEA. Reporter: AND SHE SAID IT WAS ANOTHER HEATHER SCHWAB. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE IN HERE. Reporter: IT IS DEFINITELY YOU, WE HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING FOR MONTHS. I CANNOT HELP YOU. Reporter: YOU DID IT. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Reporter: LET'S GO OVER THESE LANDLORDS, CHRISTINE REDDICK -- I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT. Reporter: DO YOU PLAN ON PAYING RENT? A MONTH AFTER WE TALKED THEY WERE GETTING EVICTED AGAIN. KRISTI MERRILL SAYS THAT HEATHER AND WILLIAM OWE THEM $4000. IT IS CRIMINAL TO MOVE INTO A HOUSE KNOWING YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF PAYING RENT. Reporter: THEIR ATTORNEY IS JEFF SPRAGUE. THEY ARE WORKING THE SYSTEM. Reporter: HE HAD JUST EVICTED THE COUPLE. THEY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND WHO THEIR VICTIMS WILL BE. Reporter: IN COURT FIGHTING THE EVICTION, WILLIAM SAID THEY WERE TOO POOR TO PAY AND ONLY MADE $3500 PER MONTH, SPRIGGS SHOWED THEM A W-2 SHOWING THEY MADE MORE THAN $15,000 PER MONTH. DAYS AFTER THAT COURT APPEARANCE, THEY WERE EVICTED IN THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER. THE WHOLE HOUSE WAS MISSING SMOKE DETECTORS, THIS IS TRASH AND DOG POOP. Reporter: THEY MOVED TO A $473,000 FOUR BEDROOM LOCATED 10 HOMES AWAY. IF YOU COULD SAY SOMETHING TO THEM, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT. Reporter: THE HOMEOWNER IN THEIR NEW PLACE IS TRYING TO EVICT THEM AND THEY HIRED ATTORNEY JEFF GREG WHO SAID THE SHRUBS WILL TARGET HOMES THAT ARE FOR SALE, THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BUY THE PLACE AND PAY RENT UNTIL CLOSING SO THEY DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANY BACKGROUND CHECKS OR FILL OUT AN APPLICATION WE HAVE NO VESTED INTEREST IN THESE PROPERTIES AND BLOOD IS BOILING. Reporter: EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW HOW THEY KEEP DOING THIS, EVERYONE WE TALKED TO SAID THIS IS CIVIL AND NOT CRIMINAL, WE TALKED TO A LAWMAKER THAT IS TRYING TO CHANGE THIS AND WE WILL EXPLAIN HOW HE WANTS TO STOP THESE SERIAL SQUATTERS, WE WILL HAVE THE STORY TOMORROW. APPARENTLY AT THE MOMENT THERE'S THEM. THEY DO NOT OR JUDGMENT. SHE IS HERE FOR YOU, YOU CAN CALL KRISTIN OR SEND HER AN
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Channel: CBSDFW
Views: 2,143,595
Rating: 4.8086796 out of 5
Keywords: CBS 11 News Evening, serial squatters, Consumer Justice, evictions, renters, Schwabs
Id: NDXnBcCvkOc
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 6min 40sec (400 seconds)
Published: Mon Oct 30 2017
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