UPDATE: The encampment is now gone! After 10 months, the neighborhood is back to normal. Quiet, peaceful and without constant crime and dealing.
The Good – Maple Leaf Property Management and 1221 N 88th St
The squatters have been removed from 1221! This is very big and good news.
It took 9 months, but Maple Leaf Property Management offered and was able to get the squatters to take a “cash for keys” deal. They moved out on Wednesday, September 30th and Maple Leaf had armed guards at the property overnight but left in the morning. I also know that they advised a neighbor to wash their hands after touching a receptable used by the squatters, probably because they know the property, it’s contents and the tenants for the last 9 months present an obvious health risk to those nearby.
I am happy and grateful that the squatters are out of the property, but can’t help but feel that the urgency to get them removed was needed back in January when Maple Leaf Property Management handed them the keys despite 3 EFT transfers being reversed. It was not until the eviction case was dismissed due to the attorney ignoring judges orders that Maple Leaf brought in specialists and attorneys who were actively taking aggressive steps to get this resolved.
I feel like if this would have happened as soon as the property owner was notified by me in January of the criminal activity taking place the the property, this could all have been over by March and saved a ton of heartache and grief for the neighborhood.
I do want to point out that the professionals they brought in to assist have been great. They took their jobs seriously and moved rapidly to help get to this point since being hired in June.
However, the story is not over. I will be sharing more at later dates, but here is an update on current conditions.
The Bad – Maple Leaf Property Management and 1221 N 88th St
First, although they are out of the townhouse, there is now a small encampment starting on Stone Way. As a reminder, this is one block from Cascadia Elementary School and Robert Eagle Staff Middle School. Scores of children walk by here on a daily basis. I am hoping this will be very short lived, but I am not confident. I encourage anyone who sees this to report the illegal encampment.
You can report it on Find It, Fix It – Illegal encampment on a school zone corridor.
They also have left scatterings of trash around the neighborhood, and were actively trespassing and dumping into the neighbors canisters as they were leaving the property.
The Ugly – Maple Leaf Property Management and 1221 N 88th St
4 of the 6 townhouses in the subdivision are currently unoccupied due to the squatters being allowed to stay for 9 months. 3 of those were vacated by the residents due to the squatters presence at 1221 for the last 9 months, with pretty much everyone opting to leave after the failed eviction. Of course, the 4th one is 1221 itself which is probably going to require a significant amount of cleaning and work to get back to a status of being habitable.
I do not know the plans for everyone else, but our family decided to move out after Maple Leaf Property Management and their attorney botched the eviction case in June. The units are still basically unrentable and unsellable until 1221 gets cleaned up of any contamination from the squatters and the subdivision is devoid of any signs of a recent eviction. We are personally out a very significant sum of money due to closing costs, relocation costs and having to get a new mortgage after working very hard to get our townhouse paid off prior to the squatters moving into 1221.
Our son now has a 40+ minute commute each way so he can finish his senior year with his friends in Seattle.
We had plans to construct a home where we would retire, but that plan has been pushed back at least a couple of years as we recover from the impact of having to rapidly pack up and move for the safety and sanity of our family.
I will disclose that we did request that Maple Leaf Property Management Seattle assist with our moving and closing costs but were denied that request. Although that would not have covered the massive impact that the squatters have had on our lives, it would have at least been partial mitigation for the direct financial harm we have incurred.
Meanwhile, we will continue to wait for the townhouse and nearby neighborhood to be cleaned up and the impact the squatters presence for the last 9 months to be removed. The financial pain continues every month as we have gone from having a great home paid in full, to having to secure a new mortgage while our home in the subdivision sits empty.
And of course, the sheer heartbreak of losing our home, yard and neighborhood that we built, cultivated and housed our children through most of their childhood.