SQUATTED HOMES, UNPAID RENT: SMALL LANDLORDS LIVING A NIGHTMARE | M6 | 66 minutes

It’s the latest trick for squatting a property — almost legally.
Pretend to be a tourist, rent an apartment for a weekend or a short holiday through platforms like Airbnb or Abritel…
Get the keys handed over without suspicion — then simply change the locks, transfer the water or electricity contract into your name, and that’s it.
Because there has been no forced entry, the real owner is left facing months — sometimes years — of legal proceedings before being able to evict the squatter.
And the new anti-squatting law, meant to speed things up, often does not apply.
This is every small landlord’s worst nightmare: dealing with squatters or tenants who stop paying rent after just a few days and effectively occupy your home illegally.
That’s what happened to Michaël, 35, who is now owed more than €45,000 in unpaid rent.
Facing him is a clever squatter who appears far from inexperienced — a specialist in fake employment contracts and forged payslips. Michaël has decided to take the case to court. Will he get justice?
Pierre-Yves, for his part, never imagined facing such a situation. His squatters are wealthy businessmen, worth millions. They owe him nearly €150,000, and there is little chance that this owner of a 165-square-meter apartment in one of Paris’s most desirable neighborhoods — now forced to live in a tiny maid’s room — will ever see his money again.
All he hopes for now is to recover his property and find tenants who pay their rent in full and on time.
Faced with long and costly legal battles, some have spotted a lucrative opportunity: evicting squatters on your behalf.
But at what cost — and using what, sometimes questionable, methods?
And finally, are there new ways to protect yourself against squatters and bad tenants?