I wanted to be clear about my thoughts on squatters. The ones I mentioned earlier that cost my friend thousands are professional squatters. They know and use the laws very well and in their favor. They go through life using and abusing well-meaning folks. These 'people' know that no one wants to deal with lawyers and engage in a process that takes dollars, and months to years to work. And that is during a non-covid time when there are no restrictions on evictions. This is what my friend got in return when he tried to help someone out.
But it was my friend's fault for trusting strangers. He's done this before, gotten burned every time, and keeps repeating the same mistake. This time, he allowed a man and woman to move in with a verbal contract of 'working the property' and 'helping with utilities', until they found a home to buy. At first they kept their end of the bargain. After they reneged, and my pal found out the guy hadn't worked for years and the woman was married and separated (not legally), their wasn't a damn thing he could do, short of a lawyer. There was gate access to the dwelling on the adjacent property and by law, he wasn't allowed to lock his own gate. This was during the eviction restriction time, and even with a written contract and a lawyer, it would have been almost impossible to get rid of the squatters. What a harsh freaking life lesson.