Squatters in the house

[Alaa Druz]

My mom owns a house in Fort Worth, TX and she's been renting it out for a while now but the most recent tenants left this past May and since then my mom has been going to the house to fix it up and clean it up and show it to potential new tenants. She was last at the house last week. A few days ago she went to the house to show it to someone when her key wouldn't work. Puzzled, she went to the back door and luckily it was unlocked. When they entered, they found clothes, shoes, toys, etc. all over the house and it was clear someone had been living there. She reported it to the local PD but they didn't do anything. The lady living there claimed someone posed as my mom and signed an agreement with her allowing her to live in the home, but she (conveniently) misplaced said contract. She also claimed that she changed the electricity under her own name (later found to be untrue) and that she has internet in the house as well. When my mom first discovered this, no one was in the house. She gave all of their belongings to the police and she changed the locks. They've since broken a window to get back in the house. Luckily the AC broke somehow so they're unable to bear being in the house during the hot Texas afternoons but neighbors have said that at night there are a lot of people going in and out of the house including around 4 kids and 2 dogs. My mom is currently going through the courts to evict them but I'm asking if you might have any advice for her. What to make sure to do, what not to do, and if possible, any way to keep them from destroying the house before they finally leave? If not, any way to make them pay for it or something?? Any advice would help. Thanks in advance.