Increased incidence of squatting in empty homes/rental homes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it takes 30+ days for someone to establish residence. I’d hope one would know if someone has been in their house for over 39 days.

+1 It's not "go out to dinner, and then someone squats in your home". That would immediately be a B&E since they would not be able to show a valid utility bill in that time, nor would they be able to get rid of all your stuff in that amount of time.

But, yes, 30 days, that's concerning.

We are planning to spend a lot of time traveling when the kids are out of the house. I told DH that squatting is a big concern. We will have cameras in the house, and hopefully, neighbors who will keep an eye out. Or, maybe get a house alarm with a company.

It works in blue states with ridiculous laws. It does not work in red states and would be down right dangerous in stand your ground states or strong castle law states.

From one of the articles:

In Georgia, a property owner who left to care for his sick wife returned to learn that interlopers had moved in and changed the locks on his home, and he’s not allowed to kick them out.

Some states have very old “squatters rights” laws that were meant to protect people (often African American) who occupied land for generations and paid the taxes, etc. but never had the paperwork done for legal title. Texas Monthly had an interesting article related to this recently. These laws are being exploited by squatters. I think FL recently repealed theirs.

A lot of beach development in SC is on land that was stolen from Black owners that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people are even forming companies helping others to squat. Go out to dinner, come home to a person/people in your home with faked leases. Vacation home? Ditto. In some states, can take up to a year to get them out. Seattle is having a real issue with this right now, as is New York and Massachusetts. One of your best protection from this arduous eviction process is being able to prove when someone entered your home. Outside cameras are good. Outside cameras hooked to monitored security companies better, and if they give you a signal via an app that your home was entered at the same time, better still. There are also companies forming that help you evict these squatters using the same methods they used to get in. Interesting concept!

As someone who owns a vacation home in another state, this has always been a concern. It's even more so now.

I will shoot anyone who tries to “squat” in my house. They’ll get one chance to vacate.

[Anonymous]

I have always thought that for every new law, lawmakers should be forced to clear one (or more ridiculous) law "from the books". THAT should be a law!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are numerous Toc toc videos giving instructions how to do. A lot in Spanish and illegals go straight to your house.

Right before the election. Gotta scare the folks into voting for the right candidate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are numerous Toc toc videos giving instructions how to do. A lot in Spanish and illegals go straight to your house.

Right before the election. Gotta scare the folks into voting for the right candidate.

So you can be both illegally in the country AND in a home and not be easily removed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it takes 30+ days for someone to establish residence. I’d hope one would know if someone has been in their house for over 39 days.

+1 It's not "go out to dinner, and then someone squats in your home". That would immediately be a B&E since they would not be able to show a valid utility bill in that time, nor would they be able to get rid of all your stuff in that amount of time.

But, yes, 30 days, that's concerning.

We are planning to spend a lot of time traveling when the kids are out of the house. I told DH that squatting is a big concern. We will have cameras in the house, and hopefully, neighbors who will keep an eye out. Or, maybe get a house alarm with a company.

It works in blue states with ridiculous laws. It does not work in red states and would be down right dangerous in stand your ground states or strong castle law states.

From one of the articles:

In Georgia, a property owner who left to care for his sick wife returned to learn that interlopers had moved in and changed the locks on his home, and he’s not allowed to kick them out.

Some states have very old “squatters rights” laws that were meant to protect people (often African American) who occupied land for generations and paid the taxes, etc. but never had the paperwork done for legal title. Texas Monthly had an interesting article related to this recently. These laws are being exploited by squatters. I think FL recently repealed theirs.

A lot of beach development in SC is on land that was stolen from Black owners that way.

It's happening in Loudoun County now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are not breaking into your house when you go out to dinner.

If a network of people discover you will be out of time for an extended period, particularly if you don't have an alarm system, you are an appealing target. It's no different from burglaries that have taken place since forever.

Another opportunity is when elderly people pass away. A savvy caregiver has an opportunity to squat in that situation, especially if heirs are not on top of the estate.

If you own a vacation home, you have the dollars to get an alarm system, perhaps not the sense.

In this case, they killed a woman coming to clean out her deceased mother's apartment:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/two-squatters-who-took-over-nyc-home-of-woman-found-beaten-to-death-stuffed-in-duffel-bag-sought-for-murder-cops/ar-BB1kjqWo

The squatters have been arrested.

Hopefully, this incident will be the straw that forces NY to change its crazy laws regarding tenants, but I don't have much hope.
NY is proving to be a terrible place to live and work with some of their laws, prosecutors, and judges.

[Anonymous]

DC is similar in many ways and MoCo is not far off.

[Anonymous]

How can a law be written to more easily evict squatters such that it cannot also be used against the owner/lawful resident? Maybe it needs to be tailored to apply only to individual homeowners?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can a law be written to more easily evict squatters such that it cannot also be used against the owner/lawful resident? Maybe it needs to be tailored to apply only to individual homeowners?

Require that any homeowner offering an home for rent notify the local government and provide contact information. Then, require that all rental agreements be filed with the local government - can be done by one or both sides. If an agreement has not been filed, it’s not enforceable and rights revert to the homeowner. Also offer owners the opportunity to file a “not for rent” notice that would prevent squatter claims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can a law be written to more easily evict squatters such that it cannot also be used against the owner/lawful resident? Maybe it needs to be tailored to apply only to individual homeowners?

Require that any homeowner offering an home for rent notify the local government and provide contact information. Then, require that all rental agreements be filed with the local government - can be done by one or both sides. If an agreement has not been filed, it’s not enforceable and rights revert to the homeowner. Also offer owners the opportunity to file a “not for rent” notice that would prevent squatter claims.

In our "digital age", this should be easy as pie. Amazing how anachronistic both our municipal laws and operations are. Shouldn't all these housing commissions be looking at stuff like this?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For as long as there have been cabins in the woods, owners have had this on their minds, as an unlikely though possible occurrence. Difference is their plan would have been to enter with a shot gun and get them out of there.

Yep, Goldilocks started the trend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can a law be written to more easily evict squatters such that it cannot also be used against the owner/lawful resident? Maybe it needs to be tailored to apply only to individual homeowners?

Require that any homeowner offering an home for rent notify the local government and provide contact information. Then, require that all rental agreements be filed with the local government - can be done by one or both sides. If an agreement has not been filed, it’s not enforceable and rights revert to the homeowner. Also offer owners the opportunity to file a “not for rent” notice that would prevent squatter claims.

If either side can file the rental agreement, then a squatter could file a bogus lease and you'd still end up in court to prove that it wasn't real.

The problem is that states like NY make anyone who resides in a house a tenant after 30 days (bogus lease or not), the cops won't make a call on whether the claims of the landlord or the squatter are valid, and the civil courts won't act within 30 days. Bingo -- landlord now has a tenant, whether or not their initial residency was legal.

[Anonymous]

Reason number 8,542,347 not to own real estate in New York.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can a law be written to more easily evict squatters such that it cannot also be used against the owner/lawful resident? Maybe it needs to be tailored to apply only to individual homeowners?

Require that any homeowner offering an home for rent notify the local government and provide contact information. Then, require that all rental agreements be filed with the local government - can be done by one or both sides. If an agreement has not been filed, it’s not enforceable and rights revert to the homeowner. Also offer owners the opportunity to file a “not for rent” notice that would prevent squatter claims.

How about just requiring both parties to have notarized signatures on the lease?