No offense to Diane but my Phoenix experience has been the polar opposite.

NYC issues a lot of $999 fines for the first offense and up to $7,500 per instance for subsequent offenses. 

You have to keep playing offense before you play any defense.

Did they say we need XX to move or did you get offensive when they turned down what you considered your fair offer??

If your property was vacant and now people are living there without your permission then that is criminal trespassing, breaking and entering and probably also destruction of property and larceny if they took anythingThat being said, the police may still tell you that you have to evict them if they say they have a lease/rental agreement

I have a document of our rental criteria that clearly lays out credit scores, criminal background criteria, and income criteria.

No offense meant by reputable - the few people I know who have used architects in this area have had horrible experiences - mostly stemming from communication issues. 

Materials 10K and Labor is 15k.Contractor buying materials - Contractor asks for half upfront and potentially walks away with $12.5kYou buying materials (Labor only) - you pay half upfront of $7.5k and contractor quits on you, you lose out on $7.5kWhen you purchase the materials and the contractor walks away with it, it now becomes a criminal issue and not just a civil case, because you paid and own the materials.

I have had my fair share of applicants who wanted to pay the full year in advance and there was always a reason behind it - poor credit score/criminal history etc.

I like the fact that the reply from Zillow usually includes the person's real name (so that I can check housing court, criminal court, and google them before I reply), and a phone number.