How a squatter nearly forced this couple to cancel their wedding
A United Kingdom-based couple who makes YouTube videos about their property investment journey recently faced a squatter who moved into their property.
A couple that documents their journey to become real estate investors was shocked when they had to change the focus of their content from purchases and renovations to figuring out how to remove a squatter who invaded their property.
"I'm 29 and getting married this year," Lia Hatzakis told Fox News. "I thought this whole situation with a squatter was going to mean that we'd have to call off our wedding because it's going to be so expensive to start getting the court order to remove him."
Hatzakis and her fiancé Achillea "AK" Kyriakou recently shared how a squatter used the law to his advantage to take over a former nursing home they purchased to renovate into single units for renters. According to the British couple, the squatter ripped out their piping to sell it for scrap metal and used their utilities without paying.
HOW A SQUATTER NEARLY FORCED THIS COUPLE TO CANCEL THEIR WEDDING
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"He was actually taking copper pipes from the loft that we were not going to replace," Kyriakou said. "It’s really frustrating."
In January, the couple realized a squatter moved into their property in Warwickshire County when he left a note claiming he moved in "due to a window being left insecure."
"I thought this whole situation with a squatter was going to mean that we'd have to call off our wedding because it's going to be so expensive to start getting the court order to remove him," Lia Hatzakis told Fox News. (Courtesy of Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis)
"No damage has been committed by ourself and no thefts of low value items," read the note. "You will be committing an offence entering this property by law."
The squatter also wrote that he sought advice from a nonprofit and police. The note said he wasn't "committing any offence by living – struggling and not being a criminal or druggy."
Hatzakis said the police could not remove the squatter unless a crime was committed. But once she found that he was illegally using their utilities, the police went to the property and forced entry to investigate.
But police told Hatzakis the squatter wasn't present.
A note from Michael, a squatter who took over Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis' investment property. (Courtesy of Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis)
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"The policeman said it's very rare for squatters to leave because they know that if an owner comes, technically you can get them out by locking them out," Hatzakis said, calling herself lucky.
The couple took advantage of the situation and hired a handyman to lock down the property to prevent reentry.
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"They secured the property so well that even we were locked out of the property," Hatzakis said. "We found out that we couldn’t actually throw out all of the squatter’s stuff like the mattress and the food and the air fryer and everything because we would be committing an offense."
Hatzakis and Kyriakou left a note with their phone number so the squatter could arrange how to receive his items. In a video shared to YouTube, the squatter called the couple to complain that he was locked out.
"Unfortunately you’ve got no rights," Hatzakis told Michael.
Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis purchased this former nursing home as an investment property. A squatter moved into before they could renovate. (Courtesy of Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis)
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"I do because you left it unsecure," the squatter, who identified himself as Michael, replied. "That was vulnerable, that, place and there’s no damage whatsoever. I’ve just secured it."
"Just so you know, I’m not doing anything wrong," he added. "I’ve done it the right way."
"That’s right, doing crime the right way, not the wrong way," Hatzakis replied sarcastically. "Fantastic."
Hatzakis told Fox News that squatters can be so fluent with the law that they’re like lawyers.
"They know what they're doing," she said. "And we had to just get clued up and get educated to sort of meet them."
Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis run a YouTube channel detailing their journey as they become property investors. (Courtesy of Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis)
Hatzakis said she felt like the squatter treated their property like a hotel.
"They set up an air fryer in the house," she said, laughing. "They set up a TV, they had unplugged our landline phone and plugged it in next to the bed like it was a Holiday Inn."
Hatzakis and Kyriakou, also known as the "Property Couple," create YouTube video showing their adventures in property investing after they left their previous careers that they were unhappy with. They aim to "make property investing accessible and understandable" and want to inspire others "to take control of their lives, no matter what challenges they may face," according to their channel.
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The couple said they're in disbelief that they had to encounter this situation. They believe the laws should change so other landlords don't have to deal with similar situations.
Hatzakis said there was a law change in 2012 that prevented "but the laws did not change for commercial properties."
Achillea Kyriakou making a video for his Property Couple YouTube channel. (Courtesy of Achillea Kyriakou and Lia Hatzakis)
"Unfortunately, our former nursing home counts as a commercial property," she continued.
"I don’t understand why the government are not doing more to protect people who are trying to bring more housing to a market that needs more housing," Kyriakou said. "They have the power to change that, and they’re either not doing it or it's not a huge priority for them."
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The duo said they have further secured the property and hope that Michael does not return. They're still assessing the damages, but Kyriakou said the costs will be in the thousands.
The Property Couple plans to share a final video about the situation Sunday showing the squatter makes romantic advances to Hatzakis over the phone and dishes on how he became a squatter.
Click here to learn more about Michael the squatter.
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