Unauthorized occupants make a property nearly impossible to sell the traditional way. We buy occupied Sacramento houses for cash, as-is, and take on the legal removal process ourselves after closing.
If your Sacramento property has someone living in it without your permission — a squatter, a holdover tenant, or an occupant you never authorized — you're in a genuinely difficult spot. In California, removing an unauthorized occupant generally requires the formal unlawful detainer (eviction) court process, even if the person never had a lease and never paid you a dime. Occupants who have established residency in a property, even unlawfully, typically cannot simply be removed by the owner — the law requires a court order and, ultimately, a sheriff's enforcement of that order.
This creates a real problem for a retail sale. Buyers using a mortgage generally cannot close on a property with an unresolved possession issue — lenders won't fund it. Most cash flippers won't touch it either, because they don't want to inherit an eviction timeline, which in Sacramento County commonly runs several months from filing to sheriff lockout, depending on court backlog and whether the occupant contests the case. Timelines vary case by case — this is general information, not a guarantee of how long any particular matter will take.
At Summit Acquisitions Group Inc., we buy occupied Sacramento properties directly, including homes with unauthorized occupants. We factor the occupancy into our offer and handle the legal process — through our own counsel — after we close. You don't have to file anything, appear in court, or coordinate with the sheriff yourself.
Get My Free Cash OfferYou do not need to remove the occupants before selling to us. We take on that process after close, working with our own California counsel through the proper unlawful detainer procedure. You walk away without ever having to interact with the occupant or the court process.
Under California law, it is illegal for an owner to remove an occupant on their own — by changing the locks, shutting off utilities, removing their belongings, or otherwise forcing them out without a court order. This is true even when the occupant has no lease and no legal right to be there. Doing this exposes you to civil liability, statutory penalties, and potential criminal charges.
The legally required path in California is the unlawful detainer (eviction) court process, which generally ends with a sheriff — not the owner — physically restoring possession. This is general information only and not legal advice. If you're dealing with an unauthorized occupant, we strongly recommend speaking with a California landlord-tenant attorney about your specific situation.
You hand us the situation as it is — we handle the legal process from there.
Call (916) 251-9505 or fill out the form. Share what you know about the occupancy — how it started, whether there was ever a lease, any communication with the occupant. You don't need documentation or a police report to start.
Within 24 hours we present a written cash offer that accounts for the occupancy and the legal process ahead. We're transparent about how that factors into the number — no surprises later.
We close in as little as 7 days. After closing, we manage the unlawful detainer process through our own attorneys. You're no longer involved and receive your proceeds via wire at close.
Occupied properties are one of the hardest situations to sell traditionally. Here's how we make it simple and lawful.
You don't need to resolve the occupancy first. We buy the property as it sits, occupants and all, and handle removal after we take title.
After closing, our attorneys manage the unlawful detainer process the correct way — through the court, not through self-help removal that could expose anyone to liability.
Lenders generally won't fund a purchase on a property with an unresolved possession issue. Our offer is cash, so there's no appraisal or underwriting contingency to fall through.
No yard sign, no open house, no lockbox. We work directly and discreetly, which matters when the situation already involves an occupant on the property.
Don't know exactly who's inside, or the full history of how they got there? We can still make an offer and figure out the details as part of our process.
Many of our occupied-property sellers discovered the situation from out of state. We coordinate everything remotely — you never have to visit the property or meet the occupant.
Unauthorized occupancy shows up in a lot of different situations. Here are the most common we help owners resolve.
A family member inherits a vacant Sacramento property, only to find someone has moved in without permission. We buy directly from the heir or estate, occupants included.
A former tenant whose lease has expired but who refuses to leave. Even without a current lease, removal generally still requires the unlawful detainer process — we take that on after close.
Someone stopped paying rent and stopped responding. Rather than carry the cost and time of eviction yourself, sell to us and let us manage the process.
You live outside California and only recently learned someone moved into your Sacramento property. We coordinate the entire sale remotely.
You're not sure who is actually living in the property or how they got in. We can still make an offer and sort out the details as part of our process after close.
Neighbors or the city have flagged the property for nuisance or code issues connected to unauthorized occupants. We factor this into the offer and resolve it after taking title.
Tell us about the property and what you know about the occupancy. We'll respond within 24 hours with a no-obligation cash offer — and take the legal process off your plate.
Sacramento Occupied Property Sale — No Obligation
Selling a property with unauthorized occupants raises real legal questions. Here are the ones we hear most.
Reviewed by the Summit Acquisitions Group research team
Topic: Unauthorized occupants & unlawful detainer · Last verified: September 2, 2026
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This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. California statutes, program funding, and county procedures change. Verify current requirements with a licensed California attorney, a CPA, or a HUD-approved housing counselor (free) before acting. Summit Acquisitions Group Inc. is a property buyer, not a law firm or brokerage.