BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington Police are warning property owners to lock their doors. It comes after squatters were found in the basement of a home rented by students, causing upwards of $10,000 in damage, in addition to other stolen items.
Some renters on Buell Street had an unexpected surprise when they returned from holiday travel — four people living in their basement, and leaving behind extensive damage from fire and using the bathroom.
“In an area that’s predominantly students, it’s pretty clear when there aren’t going to be people there, and that’s just an invitation for people to go in and take stuff,” said Aiden Moscowitz-Urbas, a UVM student.
The neighborhood is popular for off-campus student housing and was a prime target during the school break. “Once we know that something is missing from an apartment, we’ll try to investigate that and determine whether or not items can be recovered. That’s not always a really high likelihood outcome,” said Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad.
He says the Criminal Justice Center is working with students who are still away to determine what, if anything, was taken. The four people were charged with a variety of crimes including burglary, trespassing, and resisting arrest.
“It’s unfortunate but we all need to do a better job here in Burlington of protecting our properties and making certain that we lock our cars, that we lock our homes,” Murad said.
He says car thefts went down significantly in 2024 because people started taking greater precautions, and that installing a camera can be helpful. “Catching a person doing the burglary is a much clearer picture for the court than catching a person after the fact and attempting to put together all the necessary evidence,” he said.
Julia Guy, another renter who experienced a break-in, says it was both scary for her, and a wake-up call for her landlord. “They’ve owned the house since the ‘90s, so a lot has changed since then. I think it was a real shock to them that they needed to address those issues, but they did it very quickly,” she said.