‘Tell your landlord you aren’t paying rent’: Man discovers someone’s secretly living in his house. It’s more common than you might think

A resident of Portland, Oregon, shared a frightening story on TikTok, revealing how a stranger had been squatting in his apartment building’s basement unnoticed.

In a video that has garnered over 1.1 million views, TikToker Wyatt Lanford (@wyatt_lan) recounted how a series of strange events led to the discovery of the intruder. 

How the nightmare began

The story begins with Lanford hearing unsettling noises in the hallway of his 110-year-old building, noises that escalated from crying to “animalistic growling.”

“I was making bread in my kitchen and heard someone crying or wailing. It sounded scary like something was really wrong,” Lanford said, explaining how he initially thought it was a distressed neighbor.

But as he moved closer to his door to investigate, the noise turned into “demonic" growling. After the person began screaming in his general direction, he locked his door in fear.

Two days later, Lanford said he received a text from his apartment management saying it changed the door code due to a security issue.

At the time, Lanford assumed this was connected to the hallway incident, but other strange occurrences began piling up.

“My first clue that something was wrong is that my neighbors in the building were posting notes,” he explains. “Saying that their packages are missing or someone's clothing was missing from the laundry room.”

Then, a chance encounter while walking his dog early one morning provided Lanford with a critical clue.

“I saw a very peculiar-looking man coming out of the basement, and he was staring at me like he had just been caught,” Lanford recalled. 

A neighbor later posted on the building’s makeshift message board, describing the same man attempting to steal a bike in the basement.

Lanfod quickly found out that the man had been squatting in the building, stealing from tenants, and using the basement as his hiding place.

How did the building management handle the situation?

Lanford expressed frustration with the building management’s response to the situation.

“The property management company, to my knowledge, has been informed of the situation,” he says. “I haven’t even gotten a text or anything.”

He also added that the lack of communication has left residents feeling vulnerable. The squatter’s presence has made basic tasks like doing laundry or taking out the trash feel unsafe for Lanford. 

“The basement is creepy to begin with. It’s dark, with long hallways and weird cutouts where people can hide,” he states. “And now, that’s all I think about.”

Reminding viewers squatting isn’t just an urban legend, Lanford concludes, “Someone can definitely be squatting in your home, just to let you know.” 

Is the story true?

A quick scroll through the TikToker’s content suggests he might be sharing fictional stories.

For instance, he has previously posted about his college dorm being haunted, encounters with shadow men, shape-shifters, and other eerie phenomena.

While it’s possible he’s being truthful, it’s hard to determine based on his video alone. The Daily Dot reached out to him via TikTok and Instagram direct messages for clarification.

Is squatting just a myth, or does it really happen?

While squatting isn’t nearly common enough for precise statistics, some people have shared unsettling stories of finding squatters in their homes.

For instance, The Guardian recently featured a woman who this did happen to back in 1995. 

However, it’s important to note that according to The Washington Post, mentions of "squatters" in right-wing media spiked 14-fold in March 2024, despite its rarity. 

In fact, states like Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have introduced or passed legislation aimed at expediting the removal of illegal occupants. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for instance, signed a bill granting sheriffs the authority to quickly evict squatters. This act effectively turned what was traditionally a civil issue into a criminal one.

Some experts argue this narrative distracts from the broader housing crisis. Brandon Weiss, a law professor at American University, points out that an unprecedented number of U.S. households cannot afford housing.

He further told The Washington Post that using rare squatting cases to push legislation could disproportionately harm tenants and further tilt power in favor of landlords.

@wyatt_lan Someone is living in our… #storytimes #scarytiktoks #scary #truecrime ♬ original sound - Wyatt_Lan

Viewers react

In the comments section of Lanford’s video, some viewers found the story terrifying, some shared advice, and others joked about it.

“Hi, so this is terrifying,” said one viewer.

“I’d be starting a buddy system with the neighbors so I never have to go to the basement alone,” advised another. “That’s so scary and you should feel safe at home!”

“Tell your landlord you aren’t paying rent since the weird man in the basement isn’t either,” joked a third.

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