Rogue California plumber hijacks elderly womans home then rents out rooms to strangers

A San Diego “plumber” hired to fix an elderly woman’s pipes decided to hijack her home and rent it out to strangers instead.Jordy Smith, 76, said she paid the “plumber” to fix some pipes while she and her partner temporarily relocated to another home.But he allegedly locked them out, transferred utilities into his name and began renting out rooms to strangers.“He just took over and, like, before we knew it, there was like 15 people,” Smith told 10 News.

“Once that happened, it really made it look like to the homeless people that were coming in, that made it look like it was his house,” Smith said.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Smith later learned the man was an unlicensed plumber.By then, she was unable to return to her own home.

The experience left her shaken.“I couldn’t sleep at night.I mean, it just seemed like we’d never get back home,” she said.She contacted police and tried to force the “plumber” and his unauthorized renters out through the courts, but was unsuccessful.

Smith even resorted to confronting the squatters in person.“They would just lock the door and wouldn’t talk to us,” Smith said.Complicating matters, Smith’s partner could not locate the paperwork proving he owned the home.He had been gifted the property by his mother through a trust, according to Kimrey Kotchick, co-founder of the Squatter Squad.The Squatter Squad assists homeowners in removing squatters from their properties.During the more than two years Smith was locked out of her home, San Diego police were called to the property numerous times for suspected drug deals, trespassing and smoke coming from the home, according to 10 News.The owners finally located the paperwork, listed the home for sale and brought in the Squatter Squad.

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