As an estimated 5.6 million properties across the 50 largest U.S. metro areas sit vacant, homeowners are increasingly confronting a legal gray area involving squatter’s rights and adverse possession.
What many property owners have discovered is that trespassing can quickly turn into a costly and emotionally draining legal fight—especially when unauthorized occupants claim protections under state law.
For Adriana Ward, a homeowner in Marietta, Georgia, the nightmare unfolded while she was simply trying to sell her house. Instead of negotiating offers, she found herself locked out of her own property and facing a man who claimed the law was on his side.
A Georgia Homeowner’s Wake-Up Call
Ward assumed the most stressful part of selling her home on Twin Brooks Court would be getting the market timing. That changed when her realtor arrived for a scheduled showing and immediately noticed something was wrong.
The lockbox was gone. The “For Sale” sign had vanished. The windows she usually left open were shut, and the deadbolt had been changed.
