Having issues with a homeless guy not vacating the back door area

[Tamas Z.]

Hi all,

I've been having issues with a homeless guy who turned the back of one of my properties into a makeshift home, and has caused property damage. I have a commercial property where one (unused) entrance is to the back alley, and that entrance is nicely hidden and covered by a little roof. Prime real-estate for a transient, as it turns out.

I first heard about it when the tenant complained that the guy put a mattress on some vent, and it broke a cooling fan, resulting in a few hundred dollars to get it fixed. The guy also has a candle, and I'm terrified he'll accidentally burn the place down one night. Long story short: I want him out of there ASAP.

I've had relatively little luck with the police. Basically, if he's not around, they can't arrest him, and he knows when to disappear. I've even moved all hist stuff out of the area, and barricaded that unused entry way (plywood and nails), and posted no trespassing signs, only to have him tear it all down and move back in before the next morning.

My biz partner gave the police an earful, and they said they'd patrol the area more frequently (stop by whenever they're around), but I'm not too confident that anything will be done.

So, I'm brainstorming for some options. What can I do, and what am I allowed to do? I'm pretty sure I can't put itching powder or anything like that haha.

How much does it cost to hire a security company to do one daily and one nightly patrol of the alley? And if I do pay for such a company, is there anything they can actually do? I mean, if all they do is call the cops and wait 3 hours for them to show up, and hope the guy doesn't disappear, that's not that useful...

How about other surveillance options? If we get camera surveillance in the area, what will *ACTUALLY* happen if they detect trespassing?

Are there contractors that specialize in this kind of thing? Like maybe I could hire a contractor to go and fence off the area properly, but it would have to be a contractor who won't just leave if the guy is there, but who will call the police, wait for them to show up, throw out his stuff, and then finish the job. Is that kind of option commonly available?

Thanks!