Read at 2:14 AM · Episode 1

Unit D

The old tenant handed strangers his key. Then the police said they couldn't help.

PMRYou
Maple Ct 🏠Property Manager, Rosa & You
Ch 1/5
  1. Based on a real storyNames and details changed
  2. Chapter 1

    The Key

  3. June · Tue 11:52 PM
  4. Rosa · Unit B

    Hi it's Rosa from unit B. Sorry it's late

  5. Is someone renting D now? There are people going in and out

  6. Property Owner

    D should be empty. Kevin moved out

  7. Rosa · Unit B

    Kevin let them in before he left

  8. You added Property Manager to the conversation
  9. Property Manager

    Saw this. Rosa, stay inside and don't talk to them. Calling it in

  10. Wed 9:20 AM
  11. Property Manager

    PD came out. They won't remove them

  12. They said they live there. Police treat that as a civil matter

  13. Property Owner

    Then I'll change the locks myself

  14. Property Manager

    Don't. In California that's an illegal lockout, even with squatters. They could sue you

  15. Wed 4:15 PM
  16. Property Manager

    Tried code enforcement too. From what we're told, they got the utilities put in their name. Now code won't act either

  17. Property Owner

    The power is in THEIR name? At my property?

  18. Property Manager

    As far as we know, they called the power company and opened an account at the address

  19. Now they have a bill with their name on it. That's proof they live there

  20. Property Owner

    So a power bill makes them tenants?

  21. Property Manager

    Not legally. But to the police and to code, it now looks like a landlord-tenant dispute. And that goes to court

  22. Property Owner

    Then I'll have the power shut off

  23. Property Manager

    Please don't. Cutting utilities to force people out is illegal in California too. It would be on you, not them

  24. Property Owner

    Even though I own the place

  25. Property Manager

    Even then

  26. It doesn't make sense, but the only sure way out is an eviction

  27. Filing today. We'll name "all occupants", so it covers everyone inside, whatever their names are

  29. Chapter 2

    The Encampment

  30. Late June · Fri 1:07 AM
  31. Rosa · Unit B

    They're fighting outside again

  32. Something just hit my door

  33. Ring camera · 0:14a brick on the doormat of Unit B

  34. I have kids in here. We don't feel safe

  35. Property Manager

    Calling 911. Stay inside

  36. Sat 9:30 AM
  37. Rosa · Unit B

    They're running a hose from my spigot at night

  38. And someone keeps opening the electrical panel on the side of the building

  39. Mon 8:10 AM
  40. Property Owner

    Someone told me there are buckets of human waste out back

  41. I'm tired and frustrated that tenant rights extend to cover squatters

  42. Property Manager

    I hear you. Escalating to the code officer we work with, and sending everything to the eviction service

  44. Chapter 3

    Waiting on the Court

  45. July · 10:30 AM
  46. Property Manager

    Squatters are still there. The police know and have been out, but it's civil

  47. Property Owner

    What are we waiting for

  48. Property Manager

    The court to stamp the filing. Nothing moves until then

  49. August · 4:05 PM
  50. Property Manager

    He's getting more aggressive by the day. Your other tenants are talking about leaving

  51. Late August
  52. Property Manager

    Court papers are back, stamped. Serving them this week

  54. Chapter 4

    The Basement

  55. October · 7:40 AM
  56. Rosa · Unit B

    They've broken into the basement

  57. People are living down there now

  58. Property Manager

    The lockout will cover everyone, in D and in the basement

  60. Chapter 5

    Lockout

  61. Nov 14 · 3:20 PM
  62. Property Manager

    The sheriff's lockout notice just came in. It's on for the 20th

  63. Nov 20 · 8:40 AM
  64. Property Manager

    We're out here to meet the sheriff

  65. They're packing up. Carrying bags out right now

  66. Property Owner

    Are they leaving?

  67. Property Manager

    Looks like it. They saw the deputies pull up

  68. Deputies are walking the unit and the basement now

  69. It's empty. Changing the locks

  70. February
  71. Property Manager

    New lease signed for D

  72. May
  73. Property Owner

    Thank you for getting me through the whole squatter situation

  74. Property Manager

    We're glad we finally got rid of them

  75. The next summer
  76. Property Owner

    About the rent increase on B. Let's skip it this year

  77. Rosa had to deal with last year's nightmare. Give her a break

  78. Your turn

    Day one, strangers are in your unit and the police won't help. Would you have changed the locks yourself?

    What owners can do
Tap to continue

Quick answer

Can police remove squatters in California? Often not. Once they claim they live there, it becomes a civil matter, and the owner has to file an eviction (unlawful detainer). Changing the locks yourself is illegal.

Squatters in California: what owners can actually do

By SUM Property Management, licensed California property managers in Stockton and Modesto · Updated October 2026

Can police remove squatters in California?

Often not. Once the occupants tell officers they live there, police usually treat it as a civil matter. The owner then has to remove them through an unlawful detainer (eviction) case and a sheriff's lockout. A utility account in their name makes their claim look real, but it does not give them any right to the property.

Can I change the locks or shut off the utilities?

No. Removing people who are in possession without a court order is forcible entry under California Code of Civil Procedure §1159, and it exposes the owner to a lawsuit, even when the occupants never had a lease. Use the court process.

What if I don't know their names?

Serve a Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession with the eviction papers (Code of Civil Procedure §415.46). It covers every occupant, named or unnamed, so the sheriff can remove everyone on lockout day, including whoever moved in last week.

What can I do while the eviction is pending?

Report crimes such as vandalism, threats, or breaking into spaces they don't occupy, to the police. Living there is a civil matter, but crimes are not, and every report goes in the court file. Lock and seal the shared spaces you control: basements, crawlspace vents, utility panels. Look after your paying tenants; they are the ones who leave if nobody answers at 1 AM.

How do I stop it happening between tenants?

Collect every key at move-out and re-key the unit the same day. Lock basements, garages, crawlspace vents and utility panels, and have someone walk vacant units every week. Most squatter cases start with a key nobody took back.

What does an eviction cost in Stockton or Modesto? → California tenant laws for Modesto rentals → Property management in Stockton → Property management in Modesto →

Own a rental in the Central Valley? We take the 2 AM texts.

Based on a real story from a property we managed. Names, places and details are changed, and some events are dramatized. This is general information, not legal advice.