“What if you come home and find strangers living in your house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I assumed you order the squatters out, and if they resist, call the police, and they will kick them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pro-tenant laws passed by anti-capitalist politicians now protect squatters. If a squatter just lies about having a lease, the police won’t intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It’s a civil matter,” they’ll say. “Sort it out in court.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Great. Court might cost $20,000. Or more. And courts are so slow, eviction might take years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my state, New York, homeowners can’t even shut off utilities to try to get the squatter out. That’s illegal. Worse, once a squatter has been there 30 days, they are legally considered a tenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month, New York City police arrested a homeowner for “unlawful eviction” after she changed locks, trying to get rid of a squatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Squatter rights,” also known as “adverse possession” laws, now exist in all 50 states. As a result, evicting a squatter legally is so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n