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Jennifer and John Chamberlain thought they were doing the right thing. A good deed. The kind of thing you’d expect from an Oregon pastor and his wife with a garage apartment and a little faith in humanity.
John had recently left his role as an associate pastor in Salem to lead a church in eastern Oregon. Jennifer worked in public affairs for the state. According to the Salem Statesman Journal, the couple left their three-bedroom home behind, entrusting it to the man they call their adopted son. He lived in the garage apartment and helped manage the house, which they rented room-by-room on month-to-month leases. The setup worked without a hitch for nearly a year—until one decision changed everything.
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In April 2024, their son allowed a woman he believed was homeless to temporarily stay in the backyard shed. But what started as a short-term act of kindness turned into a full-blown squatter nightmare that dragged on for nine months and cost the Chamberlains thousands.
The woman didn’t just overstay—she took over. She eventually moved out of the shed and into the house, making herself comfortable in the master bedroom. Meanwhile, the Chamberlains were living hundreds of miles away, helplessly watching it all unravel.
Jennifer told Newsweek that the woman wasn’t clueless—she was disturbingly prepared. “She knew every law. She knew every code,” Jennifer told the outlet. “When I said, ‘You can’t stay here forever. The court’s going to tell you to move out,’ she said, ‘But will they?'”
That question hung in the air—for months.
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Despite asking her to leave repeatedly, the Chamberlains said police told them there was nothing they could do. That’s because, under current Oregon law, squatter disputes are classified as civil matters, not criminal ones. Unless there’s a break-in or a threat, law enforcement generally can’t intervene. Instead, homeowners are left to navigate the civil eviction process, which can be both time-consuming and expensive.
Making matters worse, Oregon still recognizes the concept of “adverse possession,” which allows someone to potentially claim ownership of a property if they’ve lived there openly and without permission for at least 10 years. The woman in this case didn’t qualify for that, but she didn’t need to. She used the ambiguity in the law to stay protected just long enough to put the Chamberlains in a bind.
Eventually, after consulting multiple attorneys and weighing their limited options, the couple paid the woman $2,500 to leave. That’s right—the squatter got paid to vacate a home she never rented.
“People have to know that this can happen,” Jennifer told Statesman Journal, “and it can happen so easily.”
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Their story isn’t unique. With rising headlines about squatters refusing to leave and legal delays tying homeowners’ hands, Oregon lawmakers finally stepped in. A bipartisan bill was passed to help property owners move more quickly through the eviction process in cases involving unauthorized occupants.
But there’s a catch: that law doesn’t go into effect until Jan. 1.
Until then, Oregon homeowners are stuck with the status quo—slow court filings, unclear authority, and the potential for an act of generosity to backfire in the most frustrating way possible.
So whether it’s a shed, a spare bedroom, or just a warm-hearted impulse to help someone out, the Chamberlains’ experience is a warning: in Oregon, if it’s not in writing, you might be the one getting evicted from your own peace of mind.
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This article Oregon Pastor’s Son Let A ‘Homeless Woman’ Stay In Their Shed—She Took Over The Master Bedroom, Knew Every Law, And Got Paid $2,500 To Finally Leave originally appeared on Benzinga.com
