Monday, January 28, 2013

When Squatters Don't Flee, Their Home Can Be Free

Andre Barbosa is expecting a casserole or a batch of cookies from his new neighbors, he's going to be waiting a long while. The 23-year-old Brazilian man has been squatting in a fab $2.5 million mansion in Boca Raton, Fla., since July.

Angry neighbors called the cops on Dec. 26, but police could do nothing. No one saw Barbosa break in, and he had paperwork claiming ownership under a quirky state law called "adverse possession," which allows a person to move into a home and claim the title if they stay there for seven years.

Bank of America says it's following the legal process regarding Barbosa, but one neighbor has already offered to buy the house to get rid of him. But the situation is driving his wealthy neighbors crazy. "This is a very upsetting thing," said next door neighbor Lyn Houston. "Last week, I went to the Bank of America and asked to see the person in charge of mortgages. I told them, 'I am prepared to buy this house.' They haven't even called me back."

Barbosa, according to records, is a Brazilian national who refers to himself as "Loki Boy," presumably after the Norse god of mischief. He did not return calls. Someone with his name has been boasting about his new home on Facebook, even calling it Templo de Kamisamar. Barbosa also posted a notice in the front window naming him as a "living beneficiary to the Divine Estate being superior of commerce and usury." S

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