The family friends of my grandfather live in the house that was given to my mother free of rent. What shall we do?

By Bricksnwall | 2026-08-03

A Reddit member wants some advice on the legal procedure of evicting his grandfather's friends who are living rent-free in a house that was given to his mother.

The post says the people living there are family friends of the user’s grandfather and have been living in the house for free for a long time. Her mother had been given the land recently with the stipulation that it could not be sold as long as her grandfather was alive.

The family is now looking into the legal process to regain custody of the residence, since the user’s mother wants to move there. The Redditor wanted to know what documentation they needed, the eviction process, and frequent legal pitfalls for first-time property owners.

Some of my grandfather’s family acquaintances have been living in one of our residences for quite a long period free of cost. Just a few days back, my grandfather gifted the house to my mom through a gift deed and has put a restriction that she cannot sell it till he is alive. My mom would like to move into the house in a few months therefore I was wondering what are the steps to be taken. The paperwork for evicting someone and all the little things that unskilled persons miss.

The article has ignited a broader conversation about property rights, the legal status of squatters who have occupied a place for a long period without a formal lease, and the due process required to regain possession.

Reddit users offered a variety of legal and practical advice. One person wrote: “You will have to send an eviction notice first. If no answer is filed, file an eviction suit. "Are there any other legal documents apart from the gift deed?"

Another emphasized the need of written renting agreements. “Always have an 11-month rent agreement and renew it if the tenancy continues. If you want more legal protection, do an agreement for 22 months and register it with the sub-registrar. Any agreement for more than 11 months duration should be registered after payment of appropriate stamp duty.

As one third Redditor put it about the broader renting market, “Acche tenants ko acche landlords nahi milte, aur acche landlords ko acche tenants nahi milte.” (Good tenants find it hard to find good landlords and excellent landlords find it hard to find good tenants.)

Source: Hindustan Times