Putting his own bailout plan into action

Here's an alternative to letting homes sit empty. From the Associated Press story "Homeless advocates 'liberate' foreclosed houses":

Max Rameau delivers his sales pitch like a pro. "All tile floor!" he says during a recent showing. "And the living room, wow! It has great blinds."

But in nearly every other respect, he is unlike any real estate agent you've ever met. He is unshaven, drives a beat-up car and wears grungy cut-off sweat pants. He also breaks into the homes he shows. And his clients don't have a dime for a down payment.

Rameau is an activist who has been executing a bailout plan of his own around Miami's empty streets: He is helping homeless people illegally move into foreclosed homes.

"We're matching homeless people with people-less homes," he said with a grin.

Rameau and a group of like-minded advocates formed Take Back the Land, which also helps the new "tenants" with secondhand furniture, cleaning supplies and yard upkeep. So far, he has moved six families into foreclosed homes and has nine on a waiting list.

Any organized "squatting" happening here in Southern California?

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: Max Rameau stands outside a "people-less" house in Miami. Credit: J. Pat Carter

Comments

[JK]

I'd call for his arrest if the banks hadn't been so greedy and crooked in this whole mortgage scam. I now say, MORE POWER TO HIM!!!!

[Laker]

Here in California, "squatting" is legal. All the deadbeats the stop paying their mortgages living rent free for a year until getting foreclosed. Then they still stay in those houses rent free for another 6-9 months delaying and postponing evictions. So that is not news item in Cali.

I've seen many REO houses that are terrible looking when the bank lists them for sale...wait until these new squatters move in and destroy the houses completely. The bank would not even fetch $.10 on the dollar.

[esp4p3]

This group are criminals and everyone of them should be arrested. How about getting a job and paying rent like everyone else?

[NoBS]

Activist?

Is that what they're calling them now? I would have called him a "thief" or "crook" or "Realtor".

[Richard]

This man is a hero. I hope he serves as an example to others. THIS type of activity is going to be what it's all about moving forward. Max Rameau, my hat is off to you.

"What Would Jesus Do?" as the tee shirt asks? Take a guess!

No story to report of any "organized squatting" in Los Angeles, but I can report that there are squatters on the street I live on (which is near LACMA, in Metro LA). They booted them out once, but they came back. Nice guys, but I don't see many sheriff's deputies wanting to confront their new pit bulls!

In areas like Miami, Los Angeles and Los Vegas, squatting will be on the increase. Perhaps the city and county politician in these areas should consider granting temporary licenses that would allow the squatters to have the water, gas and electricity turned on (they can pay in advance, no risk to the utilities companies) as long as they keep the property nice.

Here in the pages of the LA Times, I've read reporting that indicates that even in the best case scenario, unoccupied houses become UNINHABITABLE after just ONE YEAR. Squatters will use the plumbing and keep the houses in better condition than barbed wire fences. They'll keep out the vermin and coyotes. It's a common sense solution with empty houses on nearly every BLOCK of Los Angeles these days. And if you've been out to the desert areas, you've sen how bad it's getting there. It's only going to get worse.

We have to take care of each other. If we don't who will?

[Mike Hawk]

Arrest, convict, incarcerate and deport.

[formerlahomeowner]

Well, this is trespassing. The foreclosed house is the bank's property. I am not saying that what he is doing is right, just illegal. I am sure the law will treat him more severely than Bernie Madoff.

[k2polo]

I think this is brilliant! Why don't the banks allow it with a contract for keeping it clean, landscape watered and trimmed and utilities paid? Better for the neighborhood, the homeless and hopefully it would keep some homes from completely collapsing.

[Inland Empire]

Sure, let's do this! When the squatters file an "answer' to the eviction notice, they will get to stay in the houses another six months or so. Besides clogging up the court system, it will cost the banks more and they will pass the fees to the consumer. Social justice, this is not.
By the way, I am the real Inland Empire, not the imposter.

[Michael Snyder]

I'm certain the world will be a better place when nobody goes to bed hungry. But this is no solution. Max Rameau has fallen into the same trap that snared the likes of Richard Nixon & Rob Loe. He's not only documented his crime(s); he had them published in the L A Times. This is going to make it difficult for his attorney to formulate a defense.

Perhaps if he threw his shoes...

[Alice B. Toklas]

They're not squatters...just unpaid house sitters...

[sheila]

i think it's great as a "wakeup call" to the local governments and the bankers that there is such a ridiculous glut of empty houses that neither of them are willing to address in a productive way. it would be so easy for a social services department to arrange for long-term leases on, say, half the houses in these super-depressed areas, and re-let them to low-income and homeless people. there is no way the banks are going to be able to sell them all, and those they sell will be at enormous losses, so why not do something decent while things stabilize?

a lot of people are newly homeless through no fault of their own, and as part of their "penance" for lying, cheating and stealing, then ripping off taxpayers with their "bailouts," the banks should have to help out people who are probably out of work because of their rapacious behavior.

don't forget that LA and other places are BUILDING MORE HOUSING, including "low income" housing, while existing housing falls into decay, which is a sad waste. they are crowding otherwise nice neighborhoods while neglecting neighborhoods that need support. all to feed the developers more, after an era of unprecedented pillaging (sounds like banks, autos, agra, energy, etc, eh?).

of course there are legal issues, but he is doing this to raise awareness and prove that which is obvious to everyone but the people in charge - there is plenty of existing housing, it just needs to be managed efficiently...

[356man]

Sorry, Richard--this man is not a hero. He is breaking the law and should be treated like any other common criminal.

[joan jett]

I say let them move in. The greedy as sh*t banks are hoarding thousands and thousands of REOs in hopes we tax payers will give them a bailout (but still let them keep the REOs) so they can get paid twice when they sell the overpriced stucco boxes to us the second time. Banks are only letting a few REOs on the market and pricing them stupid. Stupid knife catchers are buying "because it the cheapest house on the street". Dummies can't use RealtyTrac and see that 15 other houses on that street are sitting on bank books but the banks keep them off the market.

[GDC]

It's illegal but it makes perfect sense. Why let empty houses go to waste when there are tons of people who need it?

I think the better solution is for banks to wake up and rent these things for really cheap to families with an option to buy later. That will depress rental prices and home prices in general, provide income to these desperate banks, and help the economy. What the banks are doing is sick - sitting on thousands of these REOs and asking for taxpayer bailouts when they could be generating income from these things.

[Kee]

For all you homeless people lovers, why don't you take them in to your home and put your money where your mouths are instead of letting the tax payers pay to house these squatters?

It's people like me who are cleaning up the mess you idiot Californians made with this housing mess. Then I read some feel good a**s story about a filthy slug o a human being who is making mattes worse by further ruining home values by moving homeless people into them.

California is a helluva place. I have family there and have lived there myself. But the distorted view of life that permeates California culture is what's at the heart of this whole financial mess and this story is just a further example of how truly distorted you thinking is.

Californians should be ashamed of what they've unleashed on this country but instead they flaunt it with stories like this.

[syscom3]

As long as they agree to leave when requested, then their should be no problem.

If they dont leave when requested, then they should be violently removed and taught a painfull lesson to honor agreements.

[356man]

Hello Kee: Since when did Miami become part of California?

[Owl Creek]

I've not heard of this, but I HAVE read that in Atlanta, some real estate agents are paying homeless people a few bucks a day to inhabit and take care of vacant houses. This is done for security reasons; if someone is living in the house, it probably won't be gutted by thieves or used by drug dealers/users as a stash or party house.

Yes, this is illegal, and I am not a "homeless lover" (most of them are POS'es that put themselves on the streets), but I can't say I'm totally against what this guy is doing. Blocks and blocks full of vacant homes aren't good for the responsible people who have to still live around there (the ones who didn't take out option ARM's, etc.). It's better that these homes are occupied and taken care of.

The banks are the ones that birthed this situation, first by making all of these Banana Republic loans, and now by refusing to sell the houses for what they are worth in the free market instead of what the banks would like to get for them.

[TIm]

This is old news --rehashed.

Why not spend some time in south central and look around at some of the squatters there ---are you too afraid to do some real reporting?

[Ricoswank]

I am also disgusted at the amount of REOs being held from the market and/or offered at almost extreme prices. I recently viewed a REO that was partially demolished, and the asking was $475K. Can you imagine someone paying that amount for a partially demolished REO in a not so great part of town! If anyone is into buying a home, please wait. The influx of homes has steadily decreased as banks are holding off on releasing homes to the market until the bailout situation is finalized!

[RZ]

Why is the AP reporting on this guy as if he is doing something good? Sure, it's good for the people who are off the streets for a while, but he is breaking and entering property that isn't his, causing squatting, and probably causing all sorts of damage to homes that a new owner will have to clean up. He's more of a nuisance than a hero.

[oh boy]

Kee, you're fighting a lost cause. CA is full of NIMBYs and hypocrites. It's all good until they gotta pay for it or it impacts them in a negative way. But then again, I guess that's what makes CA such a dynamic place to live.

I got no problem with giving people a hand up but these guys are usually not homeless for no reason. Bad decisions, laziness, drug use, whatever. Personal responsibility in the U.S. is a thing of the past.

[Crash Burn]

As long as this guy screens the applicants and sorts out the families form the winos, who cares if this is illegal. When the big banks fail to allocate resources in a sensible way, this is completely morally acceptable civil disobedience. This is exactly what should happen to force banks to put these back on the market, so the market will be priced with the correct supply. Hoarding places to live when there are homeless families is evil, and considering these would be the same families getting government assistance to pay rent, should be criminal. A great idea and a boon to the taxpayer!

[Jenny]

The LA Times loves criminals like this guy, he's only "activist" in favor of slavery and a caste system, something the pro-corporate paper supports.