The Lord of Squat: An Overview of Mark Guerette's Adverse Possession Claims

Our feature article this week is about Mark Guerette, who decided to take advantage of an old squatter's-rights law called "adverse possession" to move low-income families, some with checkered pasts, into empty foreclosed houses around Broward County. Mark was eventually charged with fraud because he charged rent for property that...

By Stefan Kamph

February 24, 2011

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Our feature article this week is about Mark Guerette, who decided to take advantage of an old squatter's-rights law called "adverse possession" to move low-income families, some with checkered pasts, into empty foreclosed houses around Broward County. Mark was eventually charged with fraud because he charged rent for property that wasn't his. Still, it was a somewhat ingenious response to the sheer number of houses sitting empty and neglected and the tough financial straits facing many families.

While the state attorney's office was building its case against Guerette, he voluntarily handed over many of the dozens of adverse possession claims he had filed with the county. The addresses listed on these claims provide a glimpse into the breadth of his operation -- though Guerette says he ended up leasing only about 17 of these homes. Read the feature for more.

Interactive map after the jump.

View Mark Guerette Adverse Possession Claims in a larger map

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Stefan Kamph

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