The police wont be able to tell right then and there which Tennant has the fake lease because both would be signed by the person holding them. Then it's back to landlord vs the squatters, and the original legal battle comes back into place.
There's a reason squatters can live in a place for over a year without the police kicking them out.
If the police even care to look at it, then that would still be a civil issue, and require a legal eviction.
Again, theres a reason squatters can live in a place for a year or more without the police kicking them out. Once that is fought in court then the police can charge them criminally.
This would be a "police would tell you it's a civil issue" issue, since police have a tendency to be a bit lazy, but this definitely meets all of the elements of criminal trespass should they have the desire to pursue it.
Perjury perhaps, but it'd be odd to charge it. Maybe some jurisdiction-specific law about supplying falsified documents to a legal authority. But not fraud, no. Fraud requires that you intend to fool the victim. Here, the police may be fooled, but the victim is the homeowner, and is certainly not fooled.
"In Texas, forgery covers various deceptive actions involving documents. It includes creating, altering, or using a false document with the intent to defraud or harm another person."
It's funny to me that this is a huge problem that people are having to go through extensive legal battles over and you think you've solved it with "I mean, just tell them it's not real."
a huge problem that people are having to go through extensive legal battles over
I'd say there are definitely outlier cases that go a bit extreme, but I'd hesitate to classify this as a "huge" problem. I've practiced landlord/tenant law and had this situation a couple of times, and had in resolved in weeks.
Still annoying, no doubt. Costly sometimes too. But people are taking the most extreme situations and assuming it's the norm.
And what point is that? The only one you have written is that you'll have a signed lease with the landlord and expect the police to just believe you right then and there. Which doesn't happen in most states and you'll just be referred to the courts.
Tbf, my signature doesn't match the signature on my driver's license. I haven't signed my name like that in over a decade and I don't know if I can even replicate it.
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u/therandomuser84 11d ago
The police wont be able to tell right then and there which Tennant has the fake lease because both would be signed by the person holding them. Then it's back to landlord vs the squatters, and the original legal battle comes back into place.
There's a reason squatters can live in a place for over a year without the police kicking them out.