I am currently renting but would like to buy a certain condo. It has been sitting empty for the past year. I checked out court records; the owner was foreclosed on in 2008. The electricity has been shut off since 2009 and the doors are wide open. I'm thinking about turning the utilities on and changing the locks. The law firm that was handling it is closed now (it was one of the "foreclosure mills") and is suppose to distribute the case to some other firm. Since the property is still on owners name the bank hasn't officially taken possession of it.
My question is what kind of legal trouble can I get into? Like trespassing? I want to do it not for keys for cash but to prevent it from going on the market and negotiating with the bank directly (although free rent won't hurt either). Also, there is a lien against it for 30K for unpaid HOA fees. Will that matter? Oh, and this is in the state of Florida.

Hello d:

I was about to tell you that if you're homeless, find shelter where you can... That advice is contrary to law, but I'm not a lawyer and I don't work here.

But, I see that you want to do it for financial gain. In that case you can be charged with trespassing, and should be.

excon

You can not do what you say, legally. Someone owns that condo, likely the bank, you would be trespassing. You can negotiate with the bank but you can't just move it. Part of that negotiation would including paying the $30K lien in addition to all/any back taxes