How to Prevent Squatters in Your Vacant Rental Property

Why Vacant Rental Properties Are Targeted

A vacant rental property is one of the most vulnerable assets a landlord can have. Between tenancies — even if just for a few weeks — your property is exposed to unauthorized entry, vandalism, and squatting. In Bakersfield and across Kern County, the risk is real, and the legal process to remove an established squatter in California can take weeks and thousands of dollars.

Squatters typically target properties that look unoccupied: uncut grass, no lights at night, mail piling up, or windows left uncovered. They move in quickly, sometimes within days of a property going vacant. Once inside and established, California's tenant protections — ironically — make removal significantly more complicated than it should be.

The good news: with the right preparation, you can make your vacant property an unattractive target and ensure any unauthorized entry is detected and addressed before it becomes a legal problem.

Install a Professional Security Camera System

Visible security cameras are the single most effective deterrent against unauthorized entry. When someone scoping a property sees cameras at the front door, back entrance, and garage — with a monitoring company sticker on the window — they move on. The goal is to make your property look actively watched at all times.

We recommend Vivint as the security system of choice for Bakersfield landlords. Vivint offers professional-grade outdoor cameras with motion detection, night vision, and real-time mobile alerts. You can monitor your vacant property from anywhere via the Vivint app and receive an instant notification the moment motion is detected near any entry point.

Vivint's professional monitoring service means that even if you're unavailable, trained operators are watching 24/7 and can dispatch law enforcement when needed. For a vacant property, this is the closest thing to having someone physically present at all times.

Key camera placement for a vacant rental: front door (covering the driveway approach), back door or sliding glass door, garage entrance, and any side gates or alley access points. Vivint's outdoor cameras are weatherproof and designed for exactly this type of perimeter coverage.

Get a Vivint Installation Credit Through Bakersfield Brokers

As a Bakersfield Brokers client or landlord listing on our platform, you have access to our Vivint referral program. When you contact us for your referral code before scheduling your Vivint installation, you will receive a credit applied directly to your installation fee — lowering your upfront cost to get your system up and running.

To get your referral code, simply reach out to us through the contact form on our listings page or message us directly. We'll send you the code to use when you call Vivint or schedule your consultation online. It takes about 30 seconds and can save you a meaningful amount on installation.

This is not a paid advertisement — we recommend Vivint because it's the system we've seen work well for Bakersfield landlords managing vacant properties, and the referral credit is a genuine benefit we can pass on to our landlord community.

Additional Steps to Harden Your Vacant Property

Security cameras are your most important tool, but a layered approach works best. Here's what experienced Bakersfield landlords do between tenancies to keep their properties secure:

**Smart locks:** Replace standard deadbolts with a smart lock (Schlage Encode, Kwikset Halo, or Vivint's integrated smart lock). Smart locks give you a complete access log — you know exactly when the door was opened and by whom. You can also issue and revoke codes remotely, eliminating the risk of copied keys.

**Interior light timers:** Plug-in smart plugs connected to a floor lamp or overhead light on a randomized timer make the property look occupied at night. A home that appears to have someone inside is almost never targeted.

**Maintain the exterior:** Overgrown landscaping is a billboard that says "no one has been here in a while." Keep the grass cut, remove mail and packages immediately, and make sure the property looks maintained. A well-kept exterior is one of the most underrated deterrents.

**Notify your neighbors:** Let immediate neighbors know the property is temporarily vacant and ask them to call you — or 911 — if they see anyone on the property who doesn't belong there. Neighborhood awareness is free and highly effective.

**Post No Trespassing signs:** While they won't stop a determined squatter, visible No Trespassing signs strengthen your legal position and make it harder for an occupant to later claim they didn't know they were trespassing.

**Check on it regularly:** Visit the property at irregular intervals — at least twice a week during a vacancy. Drive by at different times of day. The more often a property is visited, the harder it is for unauthorized occupants to get established.

What California Law Says About Squatters

California's squatter laws are among the most complex in the country, which is exactly why prevention is so much better than cure. Under California Civil Code, a squatter who meets certain conditions — continuous occupation for 5 years while paying property taxes, open use, and a claim of ownership — can theoretically pursue adverse possession. While this is rare in practice, it underscores why allowing a squatter to remain for any extended period is a serious risk.

In more practical terms: once a squatter has established what courts consider "residency" — receiving mail, storing furniture, sleeping there regularly — they gain many of the same legal protections as a paying tenant. That means you cannot simply remove them by changing the locks or calling the police. You would need to file an Unlawful Detainer (eviction) lawsuit, which takes 3–6 weeks at minimum and can cost $2,000–$5,000 in legal fees.

California law does allow for a faster process if the person has been there fewer than 3 days and clearly has not established residency. In those cases, you may be able to work with law enforcement to have them removed as trespassers under Penal Code 602. But this window is short — the faster you detect unauthorized entry, the more options you have.

Bottom line: the moment you discover someone in your vacant property who shouldn't be there, call an attorney and document everything. Do not attempt self-help removal (changing locks while they're inside, removing their belongings). It is illegal in California and can expose you to significant liability.

Vacant Property Security Checklist for Bakersfield Landlords

Use this checklist every time a tenant moves out and before a new tenant moves in:

✅ Schedule Vivint camera installation before or immediately after tenant vacates

✅ Change all locks and install a smart lock with access logging

✅ Put interior lights on smart timers (randomized schedule)

✅ Cut grass and clear all exterior vegetation

✅ Forward or stop mail delivery to the property

✅ Post No Trespassing signs at all entry points

✅ Notify immediate neighbors and provide your contact number

✅ Document the condition of the property with photos and video (date-stamped)

✅ Schedule regular walkthroughs at least twice per week

✅ Make sure your landlord insurance covers the property while vacant (some policies exclude vacancies over 30–60 days)

Frequently Asked Questions