Homebuyer Who Paid $160K To Purchase Foreclosed REO Inherits Pre-Existing Squatter, Can't Move In

In Lake Worth, Florida, WPEC-TV Channel 12 reports:

• An outrageous story about Lake Worth homeowner who purchased a house back in April, but he can't even get into the home because the people that have been living there are refusing to get out.
  
  It all started several years ago when the home at 5035 Woodstone Circle went into foreclosure. The bank took it over, but the people who were renting from the owner never moved out.
  
  Now the house has been sold, and believe it or not, the new owner can't move in.
  
  Marilyn Rodriguez, the president of the neighborhood association, is fed up with the people who refuse to get out. "This person is squatting and it seems like he has more rights than the new owner," said Rodriguez.
  
  Even though the new owner closed on the house in April and paid $160,000, he can't move in. Believe it or not, the squatters actually have rights according to foreclosure defense attorney Anisha Atchanah with Ice Legal.
  
  "As the owner of the property you've got to file a cause of action to the court and prove your case," said Atchanah. "It is very bold, very bold on part of squatter to think they have entitlement to property. It is a huge problem."
  
  Rodriguez and other neighbors agree. "This is ridiculous, it's absurd that in this day and age the new owners has to petition the court and go through all this rigamarole to occupy the house that he purchased."

Source: Squatter Refuses To Leave Lake Worth Home.