"Hired goons" - upgrade to "Security." They can keep on eye on your place and notify the police if it appears someone is residing who shouldn't be there. As has

"Hired goons" - upgrade to "Security." They can keep on eye on your place and notify the police if it appears someone is residing who shouldn't be there. As has been mentioned elsewhere, squatting laws only come into effect after so many days (where I live it's 30). It's not like you went away for a weekend trip, come back to squatters in your house, and you're now screwed. Doesn't work that way at all. Edit - confirmed with wife, who's a property manager. The key, at least in our state, is a property must be vacant before squatter rights applies, otherwise it's trespassing. Squatting then is a bigger concern for vacation homes, beach homes, and the like. What is considered vacant? Well, that varies by locale! Literally, YMMV.