And now you're back
From outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I've known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
Go on now, go, walk out the door
Turn around now
You're not welcome anymore
Gloria Gaynor
Ben Franklin said, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days." What do you do about "guests" who overstay their welcome? A friend needs a place to stay for "a few days." You have a live-in employee. Your ex just needs to get on their feet. How can you say no to a person in need? You don't want to throw them out in the street!
A few days turns into a few weeks and then a few months, and now you don't see any indication that your "guest" is planning to leave. What do you do now? They say, "no good deed goes unpunished," and this is a prime example of that old adage. Your guest may not have their own room or their own set of keys to the house, but they use your address as their home address and they receive mail there. You no longer have a guest -- you have a housemate, and, if they won't leave, you must go to court and have them evicted. That hardly seems fair, does it?
Fair or not, that's the law. Call the police, and they'll tell you the same thing. Even though the person living in your house has never paid rent and there was never a lease, you are stuck with this no-longer-welcomed guest! They help themselves to food that you purchase. They invite their friends over when you're trying to sleep. They sleep during the day when you're awake. Or, they just occupy space.
You've tried talking to them. You've given them ultimatums. They've promised to find somewhere else to live. Still, you come home from work each day to find that they are still there.
Think I'm being overly dramatic? Check out these two examples that made the news:
Example 1. The nanny who wouldn't leave. From the moment that Mary Poppins floated into theaters with her carpet bag and magical umbrella, nannies have occupied a special place in popular culture. There have been singing nannies (The Sound of Music), psychic nannies (The Nanny and the Professor), wise-cracking nannies (The Brady Bunch), male college student nannies (Charles in Charge), cosmetic-salesperson-turned-nanny nannies (The Nanny), fathers disguised as nannies (Mrs. Doubtfire), male Navy SEAL nannies (The Pacifier), magical nannies (Nanny McPhee), childish nannies (Uptown Girls), female college student nannies (The Nanny Diaries) and reality TV nannies (Supernanny). In none of those instances, however, did the nanny overstay his or her welcome like a nanny in California in the summer of 2014 (sometimes referred to as "the squatter nanny").
This started when a family posted an ad on Craigslist to find a live-in nanny to help the mother manage the house. Depending on who you believe, the nanny either quit doing the job she was hired to do (and was fired) or the family became unreasonably demanding (and the nanny quit). Even after employment terminated, the nanny continued to live in the house (in the room she had been given when she moved in). That's when the news media picked up the story:
To minimize the possibility of this and other "nightmare nanny" situations, check out 12 Tips for Hiring a Live-In Nanny .
Example 2. The socialite squatter. Perhaps not the stuff that whole programs can be based around (or at least not any on the "best" lists), but another plot device is the friend or acquaintance who moves in "until they can get on their feet," and then stays and stays until the hosts are ready to pull their hair out. This second example is that scenario. A New York socialite was hit by a car in 2014. She and her mother moved in with an acquaintance, claiming that their apartment was being renovated, and they stayed and stayed.
Socialite accused of squatting in actress' home
Socialite squatter finally booted from actress' Fifth Ave. co-op
These are just two extreme examples that made the news, but there are many other situations that don't make the news--an ex won't leave when the relationship is over, a child won't leave the nest or a friend needs a place to stay for a few days.
If you've found yourself with an unwanted house guest, what can you do? First, try the direct approach--ask the guest to leave. If that doesn't work, however, you may have to go to court to have your house guest evicted. See How to Put a Friend or Relative out of Your House.
Good luck!
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