A protest of around 200 residents erupted in Seattle this month after a “serial squatter” refused to leave his $2 million mansion in the upmarket neighbourhood of Bellevue.
Jaskaran Singh, who owns the five-bedroom property, has launched a legal case against the squatter, claiming that the unlawful tenant owes him a staggering $80,000.
A court hearing was scheduled for April 5.
Sang Kim was dubbed a “serial squatter” after lawyers found that he had refused to pay other landlords in the past.
The Daily Mail has since revealed that Kim and his family had moved into Singh’s property after they used similar delaying tactics to avoid paying rent of around $4,000 a month on a three-bedroom, $1.3 million home.
The alleged records show that Kim is in debt to his old landlords, totalling at around $200,000, for failing to pay rent while living in the property for two years.
Local Estate Agent Jani Spencer, who has openly supported of Singh’s outrage, also signed a declaration to confirm that Kim’s serial squatting dates back more than three years.
In regard to Kim’s previous rent refusal, Spencer said that she spoke to Kim “several times,” and he “always had a story about getting money, waiting for some partner or employer to pay him.”
According to the estate agent, the old landlords are still recovering from the financial loss, which includes two years of unpaid rent, utilities, resale losses and repairs, and emotional damage.
The economic loss totalled at more than $225,000.
“I can’t understand how such behaviour is allowed to continue,” Spencer said.
@chris.vargas93NEW: Seattle residents are publicly shaming serial squatter Sang Kim for squatting in a $2M property despite allegedly making $400k a year. According to the landlord, they are unable to get Kim out of their home who owes them $80,000 in unpaid rent. The event below was captured by @choeshow who is demanding that action be taken to stop squatters like Kim. Kim is considered a ‘Serial Squatter’ because he allegedly moved from a $1.3M home where he didn’t pay for rent into this $2M home where he also doesn’t pay rent. Landlord Jaskaran Singh says Kim lives a lavish life “doing barbecues, buying new cars, living in the best neighborhood and sending his kids to the best schools.” “Whereas the poor landlords, they are doing multiple jobs to support the mortgage of his house. [Kim] has no shame and he does not care about society.”
Residents of Bellevue have since erupted in protests, holding placards and slamming Kim for staying in the property for almost a year.
Some demonstrators were also heard chanting “no pay, no stay.”
Kory Hahn, the vice chair of the King County Republican Party, organised a “get out, con man!” chant in Korean and warned Kim: “If you’re not going to pay, you shouldn’t stay there.”
As tensions flared, some protesters started to bang on the door of the home and Seattle Police were forced to intervene.
A proof-of-income letter seen by the Daily Mail also shows that Kim and his wife, Yougin Kim, were earning a combined salary of more than $400,000 a year when they moved to Bellevue.
After moving into Singh’s home, the pair said that they lost their jobs shortly after.
The landlord has since accused the Kim family of “living a lavish life” in the home and “fabricating stories” about him.
According to Singh, Kim has been “doing barbecues, buying new cars, living in the best neighbourhood, and sending his kids to the best schools.”
“Whereas the poor landlords, they are doing multiple jobs to support the mortgage of his house,” Singh added.
“He [Kim] has no shame, and he does not care about society.”
The landlord also went on to claim that the Kim family are Korean
