10 Times Stubborn Homeowners Refused To Move And Faced Unexpected Consequences

There are times when real estate development sets its eyes on a certain area, and there are people already living there. Oftentimes, the developers can make an offer to the homeowners in order to buy them out of their property, and the homeowners will make a home somewhere else. There are times that homeowners are stubborn, though, and the stories that come from the situations are often hilarious.

1. Column of Ancient Graves

A family that has used a space as a family tomb since 2004 has been refusing to move the graves of their ancestors, even in spite of the apartment development that is occurring around them. They held out for months, attempting to find out why the developers chose that spot and arguing over the amount of compensation that they were being offered.

The family eventually settled with the developers in 2007, after developers cut their power and water, and dug an enormous 10-meter deep pit in the ground around the home. They settled for $300,000, and moved on with their legacy and the money in hand.

2. The Chinese Highway That Was Cut In Half

Developers in Ningbo, China were looking to build a new highway, but their plans were abruptly halted when one homeowner refused to sell his home and relocate so that it could be torn down.

The man, who has remained unidentified, is not holding out for a better compensation package from the developers. Instead, the delay comes from familial tension, with the man allegedly arguing over the compensation package and where they’ll go. The developers can’t touch the house while negotiations are ongoing, but that hasn’t stopped them from working around it.

3. Residents of a 900 Year Old Village vs. Hardline Developers

In 2010, the Chinese government went to extreme lengths in order to try and force individuals out of their homes so that their homes could be torn down and replaced with new. The residents of Yangji refused to sell, and the developers decided to take things up a notch.

The developers used bulldozers to literally dig out ditches around the holdout homes, diverting a local river and disrupting both the flow of traffic and nature for the owners of these homes. They cut off electricity in an attempt to put even more pressure on the homeowners. They refused to budge, though, and the holdouts have had the construction project on hold for years.

4. Takao Shito vs. the Narita Airport

A 73-year old man refuses to move off his family’s ancestral land in Japan, even though he doesn’t technically own it. The Narita Airport has been the center of social protest since construction on it first began in the 60’s, with farmers protesting being pushed off their land in the name of development and progress.

Shito is the last holdout of what was once a thriving farming community, and continues farming on the property to this day. The airport built around him, and though it means that Shito’s farm is constantly barraged with exhaust smoke and noise pollution, keeping his family’s legacy is worth it to him.

5. Zheng Meiju and Her Sliver of an Apartment

In 2012, Zheng Meiju refused to move from her apartment building in Rui’an, China, when developers approached her with compensation. The planned project was a business plaza, but Zheng thought that the amount that she was being offered for her home was unfair.

The demolition of the building went forward as it was planned, but the developers left a small portion of the building intact, where Zheng now lives. Electricity and water service has been cut off to the building, so Zheng has to retrieve buckets of water every single day, but the resilient woman still refuses to leave.

6. Shanghai’s “Nail Neighborhood” in Guangfuli

Chinese laws allow for residents to own homes, but not the land that they’re built on. This allows them to work with developers to force residents out of their homes, but one neighborhood in the wealthy center of Guangfuli has refused to move out of their homes.

Residents of the Guangfuli “nail neighborhood” refused compensation when developers approached them about relocating from their homes, stating that the money was not enough. The residents have been in a stalemate with the developers since 2000, and development around the neighborhood has seen high-end condos and businesses built around homes that become more derelict by the year.

7. The Tenant With A Moat

One resident of an apartment building in Kunning, China, refused to move out of his apartment building when developers approached him to demolish it. He claimed that the developers had intentionally and illegally misclassified the land in order to offer a lower sum of money for the land, and he refused to take the offer.

The rest of the buildings around the man’s apartment were destroyed, leaving it alone in a vast expanse of land. In an attempt to get him to move, though, the developers dug a ditch in front of the building, disrupting water and electrical lines. They expanded the newly dug ditch, and when the area filled with water, a moat was formed that has to be crossed in order to leave and enter the apartment building.

8. The Rockefeller Plaza Complex Move

In 1892, three Irish immigrants in New York signed a long-term lease on a property on the corner of Sixth avenue, and proceeded to open up a bar that even survived prohibition by operating as a speakeasy. Later, when Rockefeller was buying land in order to build is now-famous complex, he was able to buy the building but unable to evict the tenants due to the terms of their lease.

The pub owners offered to sell the building for $250,000,000, but Rockefeller refused and they refused to leave. On the other corner, another owner refused to leave his apartment building, and Rockefeller was ultimately forced to work with the land that he had and build an enormous skyscrape of his complex between the two buildings.

9. Spiegelhalters: The British “Nail House”

Spiegelhalters jewelry store is a remnant of the nineteenth century that has survived demolition not once, but twice. In the 20’s, the wealthy owners of Wickham’s Department Store made an offer to the Spiegelhalter family to buy out their building while their mega department store was under construction.

The family refused to sell, and Wickham’s was forced to build their shopping complex around the tiny shop. 90 years later, the building again survived potential demolition due to public opinion. The storefront has been common ownership since the 1990’s, and the facade has become a part of British public culture.

10. The Lone Coffeehouse in Northern France

Despite the neighborhood being demolished around him, Salah Oudjani refused to sell his building to developers in Northern France. It is the home of a coffee house that is Salah’s life’s work, and he has been working there for more than 40 years even as the neighborhood around him changes.

The building appears to be the only survivor of an air raid, and Salah has stood firm in his desire to stay in his building and continue to run his business. He says that he’s used to pressure from outside sources, and that he will not sell, no matter how many offers he gets.