An Ontario family was recently surprised to find a non-paying tenant on land they recently purchased on P.E.I.

'A lot of people have summer homes and when they go back to the house they … find somebody in it.'— RCMP Sgt. Andrew Blackadar

Kevin Callen and his family bought a property in Pisquid, east of Charlottetown. While exploring their new land, his wife came across an old shack.

"She went up to an old building, there's an old building there that's dilapidated and she said 'Hello' because she heard some rustling thinking it was a raccoon," Callen told CBC News Thursday.

"Someone said 'Hello,' and oh gosh, so she took off. Yeah, some guy was living in the shack in a tent."

The Callens called the police, but eventually allowed the man to stay in their shack until the rain stopped Wednesday.

RCMP Sgt. Andrew Blackadar said these kinds of incidents are not unusual.

"A lot of people have summer homes and when they go back to the house they either find somebody in it, or find evidence that somebody was in it," said Blackadar.

"We have to kind of assume that they're there just to spend the night in, and it's usually quite obvious because they've made the house their home."

Blackadar said if it's clear the squatter entered the home to seek shelter and not steal, they are often treated as trespassers and not charged with breaking-and-entering.

Callen said while his family was initially spooked they were happy to provide shelter to the man in their unused shack. Their squatter has now moved on.