Tinley Park man says squatters moved into for-sale home, wouldn't leave: 'They took over the house'

TINLEY PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- A Tinley Park man said squatters moved into his property without permission, and refused to leave.

He had just put his home on the market, when he says a family of four moved in.

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He said Tinley Park police told him he'd have to go to court to get them out.

So, he called the ABC7 Chicago I-Team for help.

The Tinley Park man had heard about squatter stories before, but never thought it could happen to him.

Steven Brill was excited to sell the Tinley Park home that he purchased and renovated earlier this year.

"I put the house on the market Monday evening, and then yesterday at 4 p.m., an agent went to go show the house for a showing," Brill said.

During the showing, he said the real estate agent discovered the lock box had been broken, and a family of four with two dogs was living inside.

"She said, 'hey, we have a huge problem. We have squatters in the house.' So right from there, I contacted the Tinley Park police," Brill said.

He said he showed up with the police that same day.

Brill said someone came outside and showed police a lease, claiming they paid a deposit and had a right to be there.

Because of the lease, police did not remove the family, and referred the property owner to the eviction courts.

"It's not their home. They know I'm the owner of the house. They have the deed. I thought for sure they would remove the people from the house, but they didn't. They're still there," Brill said.

In a statement to the I-Team, a spokesperson for the Tinley Park Police Department said in part, "though the lease is most likely invalid, that is not the officers' responsibility to determine. Evictions are a civil matter."

"Very frustrating, I have a lot of money invested in the house, and I don't even feel like the homeowner. They took over the house," Brill said.

Real estate attorney Mo Dadkhah says these cases are a nationwide problem.

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"Typically, when police or a sheriff shows up, they'll say, 'we have an agreement with the landlord.' And at that point, the police officer doesn't know if this document is real. They can't throw someone out who could potentially be a tenant. So, they'll tell the landlord, 'you have to go through the eviction process,' which unfortunately in the Chicagoland area, is lengthy. It's long and time-consuming," Dadkhah said.

After the I-Team reached out to Tinley Park police, Brill said he got a call from an officer, saying they were willing to take a second look at the case.

In doing so, police found the so-called lease was invalid. One major red flag was that the address on the lease didn't match the property's address.

So, they took action to order the family to leave the home.

Two pets were removed from the home, and the people inside eventually left peacefully.

The people living inside wouldn't comment.

Brill is now back in his home, after what he calls one of the worst situations he's ever faced as a property owner.

"I'm very glad I reached out to you guys. You were on it, jumped on it right away. I believe that calling you guys actually helped. You guys calling, I feel like that lit a fire, and got everybody moving even faster," Brill said.

There was a lot of trash and the family's belongings strewn throughout the home, but the damage appears to be minimal.

Homeowners are encouraged to have cameras installed on their property, even if it's vacant.

Once the for sale sign goes up, the home can become a target for potential squatters.