A HOMEOWNER has revealed a family of five moved into her vacant rental property and changed the locks.

Linda Jiang called the cops when she found people had moved into her Houston, Texas, home, but getting them out wasn’t that easy.

In March, Jiang and her husband had their property listed for rent when they received a letter from their HOA.

The letter asked them to get some lawn work done, so she drove to the home with landscapers to see what was needed.

After she arrived, Jiang opened the door and was horrified to find a family of five sleeping on air mattresses. They had been living there for nearly a month.

A woman inside told Jiang that she was renting the property and even emailed her a copy of a lease.

When asked how she moved in, she said an alleged realtor set them up at the home.

But Jiang had no idea who the woman was and refused to back down without a fight.

“They broke into my house. They’re trespassing,” Jiang told ABC affiliate KTRK after making the discovery.

“That should be a criminal trespass. They’re violating my privacy. This is my property.”

The so-called renter also spoke with the media after the discovery and claimed that she had paid a realtor $6,000 to move from California and start a new life.

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Police were called to the property, and surveillance footage captured them chatting with the family, but no arrests were made, the outlet reported at the time.

Authorities told Jiang that this was a civil dispute.

When Jiang visited her property after this, the family inside had changed the locks.

“If somebody steals your vehicle, then the police would come out and catch them and say, ‘You’re the thief. We’re going to put you in jail.'” Jiang said.

“Why can’t they do the same for the house?”

Days later, the family disappeared after a disturbing criminal record came to light.

“I thought we had to go through the eviction process. Now they’re gone, completely gone,” Jiang told reporters.

The woman had been involved in several civil and criminal proceedings in surrounding counties and there were three eviction records under her name, public records reveal.

Legal experts say there’s been a huge influx of squatters manufacturing fraudulent documents so they can extend a free stay in someone else’s home.

“We’re seeing a rise,” said eviction attorney Brian Cweren.

“I’ve been doing it for 25 years. I can’t say I’ve seen as much as years past.”

With the situation behind her, Jiang said they are taking the property off the rental market, getting a security system, and considering selling.

“It was very frustrating, having to deal with this, but now I’m happy she’s gone, and I’m hoping legislators will do something and change the law and protect homeowners rather than the squatters,” Jiang said.

Another resident came home from a long vacation only to find two squatters who stole everything except her bed.