Squashing, or living in a home against the homeowner’s wishes, is often protected by Byzantine civil law and is becoming a trend in the United States.
However, a person who calls himself a squatter activist and a “professional” squatter remover is not a squatter activist and a “professional” squatter remover. He told Fox News that he is looking forward to more after the bill passes. States will likely follow suit.
Flash Shelton’s first encounter with illegal activity occurred during an extended stay at his mother’s home in California after his father’s death.
Mr. Shelton said:america report“How we told him on Wednesday that the police had their hands tied at the criminal justice level and needed to make it a civil matter to evict the squatters.
“I decided to beat the law and figured if the law could take away my house, so could I, so within a day I decided to remove the squatters and focus the attention I was getting on YouTube. It’s a channel for doing something good,” said Shelton, founder of the National Handyman Association.
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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill into law making squatters law. (Governor Ron DeSantis/FB)
“A year ago I announced that I was going to fight for squatter law reform and then set up Squatter Hunters to help homeowners get rid of squatters. their squatters. ”
Shelton said Florida’s law is a “positive step” that could set a precedent for other states to pass similar laws.
“I think as long as we can clearly explain the difference between trespassing being criminal and tenant rights being civil, I think that can make a difference and give homeowners the balance and support they deserve. ” he said.
A Florida law praised by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis would shorten the lengthy civil court eviction process and allow police to arrest squatters who cannot produce leases or proof of rent payments. .
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“You can’t take someone else’s private property and expect to get away with it. We will end squatting fraud in Florida once and for all,” the governor said this week.
Meanwhile, residents in states like New York are seeing an increase in squatting activity, and in some cases in the Big Apple, homeowners are struggling to figure out how to evict unwanted guests.
A Flushing woman was arrested when she tried to change the locks on a $1 million home she inherited when a man inside the residence called police. Two of the three alleged squatters in the incident have reportedly since fled.
Elsewhere in Queens, a retired couple who bought a home in Douglaston for $2 million said the former caretaker of the home’s deceased previous owner had been illegally living there since early 2023, according to the New York Post. They say they are unable to move in because it is said to be occupied. The paper reported that squatters in New York can legally claim the right to stay on the land after 10 years, but in the Big Apple that period is only 30 days.
If someone notices they are confronting squatters, they should call police immediately for safety reasons, Shelton said.
“Don’t do anything yourself. It’s property. Don’t put your life at risk. Call law enforcement,” he said, adding that if police say they can’t help any further, the home He added that owners can contact his group, Squatter Hunters.
Shelton argued that organizations like his can help before a civil lawsuit begins, not afterward.
