Skip To...
In what is most likely the biggest lesson of her life, a Florida woman let her would-be roommate, a lady with a “hippie” vibe, stay at her place without signing a lease. Unbeknownst to the woman, her roommate turned out to be a squatter.
The nightmare situation was summarized by the Florida woman herself, TikTok user secretesse (Esse). She met Rose, her roommate-turned-squatter, on Facebook, which is a recipe for disaster from the start.
Rose seemed “pretty cool” and had a “hippie, indie, artsty, free-spirited vibe,” according to Esse. The lady was even a singer-songwriter, a fact that sealed the deal for Esse, as she is “very into music.” However, sooner rather than later, the red flags started to wave right in front of her.
No Lease Signed, Squatter Arrives
Despite her moving date approaching, Rose refused to sign any paperwork. Esse, while worried, didn’t think much of it as Rose wasn’t ignoring her. She was, actually, being “very nice” to her and responding to her promptly.
The day eventually arrived, and despite having no lease signed or having followed the legal steps required, Rose arrived at Esse’s place. Esse had called out of work that day, thinking that something odd was happening. And it totally was.
Despite the aforementioned red flags waving, Esse welcomed her in. After helping her with her stuff, Rose eventually told Esse that it might have all been for nothing. Apparently, a “big music opportunity” in Tampa, Florida, had appeared out of the blue, and she, having already moved in, was thinking about not signing the lease and moving out.
“I’m of course godsmacked,” Esse said.
To top it all off, Rose asked Esse if she could stay for a few days while she “figures” it out. Again, Esse agreed, blaming her naivety at the time.
“I just accepted my fate,” she added. “I just let this squatter come into my house, set up shop, and give me no estimation on when she’ll be leaving.”
Squatter Gone, Reactions
For three days, Rose lived in Esse’s house for free. When Sunday arrived, Esse finally had enough and told Rose she needed to leave the very next day. Rose appeared to agree, but the drama continued. She refused to pack her stuff, so Esse had to call out of work. Again.
Understandably, Esse feared that, if she left her house, Rose could potentially change the locks of her house or do something worse. The squatter eventually figured out that Esse was there to see her pack her things, and she finally began doing so. Rose then reversed her van all through the front yard up to the front door, damaging Esse’s property.
It took the women three hours to load Rose’s stuff into her van, with Esse saying she was trying to weigh her out. However, she didn’t bulge, and Rose was finally gone.
Users were left aghast by Esse’s story about the Florida squatter. One user wrote, “She knew how to play the game.” Another netizen said, “The things we agree to when we don’t want to deal with conflict.” A third added, “Watching this made me realise my roommate ruining the microwave is not as bad as I thought.”
Esse probably learned a valuable lesson that day: if you don’t sign a lease, you don’t move in. Period.
