LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Neighbors in a Las Vegas Valley community are concerned about squatters in a vacant home, and are wondering what it takes for county officials and police to force them out.
The home is in the Paradise township near the intersection of Pecos Road and Hacienda Avenue. According to neighbors, the property has been vacant for months, until people forced their way inside.
When FOX5 arrived in the neighborhood, our crews witnessed someone inside and a vehicle in the driveway. A neighbor tells FOX5, the vehicle is known in the area, because people are living in it and park on various streets.
Neighbor “Nikki” tells FOX5, they’ve witnessed plenty of damage to the home in recent weeks.
“The sliding glass door’s knocked out. There’s a bunch of stuff in the backyard. They had stuff barricaded in front of the doors…I don’t know why they would take the doors off,” she said. “A couple of nights, there had been like a fire in the backyard,” Nikki said.
Her family has reported concerns to 311 and the Clark County Fix-It App.
“It just makes me anxious. I have a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old,” Nikki said.
According to Clark County Assessor records, the home is in the name of a senior who is more than eighty-years-old; the home is also in a trust in the landlord’s name. FOX5 left a message for a number associated with the landlord.
Metro Police tell FOX5, Southeast Area Command and their Community Policing Unit is aware of the problem, and a solution is “in the works” with Clark County Code Enforcement.
LVMPD tells FOX5, in these scenarios, if the landlord is present, Metro Police can charge squatters with unlawful entry. In a situation when the landlord is unavailable, extra steps need to be taken.
Sometimes court action is required for Clark County officials or police to intervene in a vacant property.
Clark County officials sent FOX5 the following statement, telling us there is an open investigation into the property but cannot provide additional information:
Clark County does not remove squatters, however, under Clark County code if a structure is an imminent danger, because it is occupied without power or is otherwise unsafe, Code Enforcement can board up and secure the structure under Clark County Code 11.08. After a structure is declared an imminent danger it is illegal to reenter the structure. CC 11.08.040.
How do you report a squatter? LVMPD tells FOX5, the best way to do so is through your local LVMPD Area Command. You can speak to officers in person at the station, or click on the Area Page and file a “Service Request.” You can also speak with officers at their First Tuesday events.
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