property repossession ownership
Can residences be repossessed as with other real property?
<p>Real property seems to have peculiar legal customs.  For example, if somebody has leased property like a vehicle and defaults on their lease the most expeditious way for the true owner to recover the property seems to be repossession, which is essentially physical recovery by "reasonable" force.</p>

<p>But when it comes to a living space the old saying, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possession_is_nine-tenths_of_the_law" rel="nofollow">Possession is nine-tenths of the law</a>," seems almost literally applicable:  To my knowledge, in the United States at least, there are state and local laws that make it extremely cumbersome for a property owner to evict a tenant in default (and thereby recover the use of their rightful property).  Is this accurate?  Or are there conditions or methods whereby a property owner can legally use private force (i.e., not the force of agents of the state) and occupation to repossess living spaces being held by "squatters?"</p>

<p><strong><em>Amendment:</em></strong> If someone trespasses on my property I can not only arrest them myself, but I can also immediately summon police and ask for their arrest and criminal prosecution.  At what point does trespass become "squatting?"  (I presume that the difference between "squatters" and "non-paying tenants" is the fact that the latter party can show that <em>at some point</em> they had legal rights to the residence?)</p>

<p>This answer applies in the U.S.</p>

<p>It is typically a 30-day process to evict a tenant for non-payment of a lease and it requires that the Sheriff be present to enforce the eviction order granted by the court. Similar rules for squatters.</p>

<p>If the person being evicted is on the title, the process is more complicated and generally impossible to do unless you go through the process of "<strong>foreclosure</strong>" to remove them from the title. Foreclosure is generally very costly and time consuming and generally requires the services of an attorney who specializes in such matters.</p>
