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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A woman who rented out a room inside her home in exchange for work being done on her property is now warning others about squatters’ rights after the tenant kept her out of her home for more than a year.
Traci Bates said there is some relief in sight after the tenant changed the locks and kicked her out. A judge just sided with her earlier Monday on a default judgment, but she has been going back-and-forth with the case for more than a year.
“I feel bullied, pushed into a corner. I feel like I had no rights, especially in the beginning,” Bates said.
Bates said this happened at her late father’s home after she agreed to rent out one of his rooms to a mutual friend.
“Asked him if he would like to exchange for rent to help me clean up the house, you know, do some remodeling, some small jobs, just some minor things like hauling off some trash from the backyard or whatever. Fixing a fence, repairing it,” Bates said.
After just three weeks, things took a turn.
“He changed the locks to the house. I show up to go to get something because all my clothes are there. All my dad’s belongings, everything are still in the house,” Bates said.
She said she hasn’t been able to get it back since. Bates said he actually called the police on her, but they couldn’t do much because it was a civil matter.
Bates said he produced a fake sales agreement, claiming she sold the house to him for $13,000.
“There’s no proof. That’s not how you’re buying a property,” Bates said.
A police report filed by Bates accused him of fraud for that agreement, saying she never signed it. It points to a letter from the secretary of state, acknowledging that the notary stamp he used was reported missing around the time that the agreement was supposedly made.
“This isn’t just a problem in Oklahoma. You see this problem all over the country,” attorney Noble McIntyre said.
McIntyre, who is not tied to the case, said the situation is sort of a civil court loophole.
“If you had somebody that was very, very wealthy that had all the resources in the world, they could push this much more aggressively. But the average person doesn’t have that kind of money. So, they get caught in these situations where they’re a law-abiding citizen. They own the property. They’re doing everything right. They’re doing everything right. But the law is treating them like the bad person. It’s ridiculous,” McIntyre said.
The property assessor’s website still lists Bates’ family trust as the owners, but the man has since tried countersuing for everything from breach of contract to intentional infliction of emotional distress.
KOCO went to the home Monday to try and speak with him about the situation, but no one answered.
But just hours after the interview with her Monday, Bates got a notice that the judge granted a default judgment, meaning, soon, she finally gets her house back.
” Oh, my goodness! I’m so excited,” Bates said. “This is such a big release. I’m in tears because of it. I didn’t think this day would come.”
There are a couple of things that still need to happen. Her attorney will have to bring that notice to the sheriff’s office, giving the man 48 hours to move out.
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