- Squatter moved in, changed locks, reworked plumbing and replaced appliances
- Filed a report with the city stating the house was abandoned
- Placed a $8,500 lien the house
By John Clarke
PUBLISHED:14:23 EST, 10 October 2012| UPDATED:17:37 EST, 10 October 2012
A Detroit woman and her one-year-old daughter are being forced to live with a squatter in their own home until a housing court decides on eviction proceedings.
Homeowner Heidi Peterson claims the squatter, former tenant Missionary-Tracey Elaine Blair, took over the residence while Peterson was away for a year during extensive home repairs.
After the necessary repairs were complete, Peterson returned last week only find out that Blair had changed the locks. She had also taken the liberty to decorate the house, rework the plumbing and replace appliances.
According to neighbors, Blair had been living in the house for months.
Heidi Peterson always dreamed of living in a historical home. In May of 2010, she bought one in Detroit’s Boston-Edison District for $23,000. Now a squatter refuses to leave
She also discovered Blair had managed to put a lien on the house, which she had told the city was abandoned, reports MyFoxDetroit.com.
Blair, who is a write-in candidate for U.S. President, refuses to leave. And until a housing court evicts her, Blair, Peterson and Peterson’s baby girl are forced to live under the same roof.
Missionary-Tracey Elaine Blair, an alleged squatter and write-in candidate for President of the United States refuses to leave a Detroit home owned by Heidi Peterson
“I thought if the house is not safe, how can I come here with my child,” Peterson told MyFoxDetroit. “There’s an issue with that. But should I lose my house to a squatter because I don’t have rights to my property or should I fight to get it back.”
Heidi Peterson paid $23,000 for this historic home in the Boston District of Detroit
Peterson said that she and her baby had to vacate the house in February 2011 after the boiler was damaged.
“In February 2011, we had to vacate because the boiler was damaged,” she said. “I took all my books and my writings, but my (furniture was) still left in (there).”
When Peterson returned, she discovered Blair living in the house.
Alleged squatter Missionary-Tracey Elaine Blair refuses to leave. Now, homeowner Heidi Peterson and her baby daughter (pictured) are forced to sleep one room away from each other.
According to the report, a squatter does not have a legal right to the property, but under the law the homeowner cannot remove a squatter by force.
In most cases, the homeowner has to file a civil action in court, prove it’s their property and evict the squatter. That is what Peterson is trying to do.
Squatting is nothing new to Detroit, which has been hit hard by foreclosures and has miles and miles of abandoned homes, including the childhood home of Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Peterson said she can’t afford to go anywhere else and is forced to live under the same roof with the squatter until she can legally evict the woman, the report said
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