Patti Peoples, a Florida homeowner, found herself the victim of a squatter just after receiving an offer on her property.
It took 36 days for the squatters to vacate the Peoples property, and it cost thousands of dollars to repair the damage they left behind.
This happened to Peoples just over a year ago, but her squatting story doesn’t end there. She continued to give her own story her attention and awareness because she was personally affected by the squat. Their experiences helped pass a Florida bill that gives homeowners more rights to their property and keeps it out of the hands of squatters.
“I never expected that my personal experience would lead to changes in state laws and indeed a movement across the country regarding criminal prosecution of squatters,” Peoples told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. told.
“I was surprised and really encouraged by what this case of mine has shown me, and that our legislature listens to the public and sometimes actually solves everyday common issues. I hope it shows others that we can effectively try to enact new laws to address this.”
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A landlord in Florida had his rental property taken over by squatters. (Patti Peoples)
“Squatting is a national problem. Unfortunately, there is no organization that tracks squatting incidents, so we don’t really know how prevalent it is. But locally and Thanks to the strong and sophisticated work of national organizations, what we know is that many of the tragedies of squatting are being exposed to the public,” Peoples continued.
Peoples said publicly sharing the stories of squatters like herself has helped advocates reach the government level.
After Rep. Kevin Steele and Sen. Keith Perry saw Peoples’ article on Fox News, Florida homeowners contacted her and expressed interest in working together to address the issue, she said. .
“This is a really great example of my story generating local news interest, local news interest generating national news interest, and national reporting spurring the state legislature to take action. ” Peoples told FOX News Digital. “I think this is really how things should work in our country. This shows the value of a free press. This shows, especially in my case, that members of Congress can work in a bipartisan manner. So , I think there’s going to be a lot of wins from here.” Specifically, it’s bigger than squatting, and it’s definitely bigger than mine. ”
Peoples was invited to testify before Florida Senate and House committees when the Florida bill was being considered.
Peoples told Fox News Digital that he describes himself as a “researcher” who tends to “get specific about the facts” when presenting.
She said she had little time to prepare her testimony and only had one to three minutes to speak. On her ride to Tallahassee, she thought about what she wanted to express and found that her approach was simply to tell her own story and represent the vulnerabilities and concerns of her constituents. It turned out to be her best method.
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“Imagine for a moment: You return home after a day of service to Floridians, but when you walk in, strangers are sitting on your couch, watching TV, and offering you food. You ask who they are and they say they are renting this house and present you with a “lease agreement”. Confused, you called police to explain the situation and told them you were the legal homeowner and did not rent your property, according to documents shared with Fox News Digital. Peoples said during the call.
“The police arrive and the strange men give them papers showing they have rented your house, but it was rented by someone you don’t know, and in fact the papers weren’t even signed. did not.”
Patti Peeples told her horrifying squatter story to help pass legislation in Florida to protect homeowners from squatters. (Patty Peoples)
“The police don’t arrest them. They don’t force them off the premises. In fact, it’s you who force them out of their own homes, and they say they don’t have jurisdiction. They say they’re illegal occupiers. and know that the document is fraudulent.” But they have absolutely no power in this situation. And the only way you can retain title to your home is to use the civil court system to evict them or evict them. Squatters will have at least 20 days to prove their rights. To be there,” Peoples added.
“Because the civil court system is overwhelmed, they will live in your house rent-free, but probably only for a few months. They will have to rent a hotel or find another place to stay. You can’t turn off the electricity or water. You can’t change the locks or board up the windows. This happened to me in a rental house I was selling.
On March 27, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill, HB 621, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2024. This bill protects the rights of homeowners, provides remedies for squatters, and increases penalties for squatters.
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“Squatters don’t discriminate. They’re just looking for a place to stay. If you go on a weekend trip and come home, you might find squatters in your home. That’s not going to happen in Florida anymore,” Peoples said. He said.
“Furthermore, the fact that this bill was passed here in Florida will prompt New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and many other states to take action to enact property rights and anti-scramble legislation.” This is a good template for other states to consider how to legislate this particular issue in our country.”
Peoples explained that even though the Florida House and Senate members she has spoken to many times do not align with her politically, they were able to see eye to eye on the issue of squatting.
Patti Peoples continues to spread awareness about squatting issues across the country by sharing her story. (Patty Peoples)
“When we first started working together, our political affiliations were never talked about. It didn’t matter,” Peoples explained. ”[The bill] It passed both parties in Congress and received 100% bipartisan support. This is a very unusual victory in the United States today. ”
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While she continues to spread awareness about the current illegal occupations occurring across the country, Peoples remains a landlord with one rental property, but plans to start a new real estate venture after her experience. There isn’t.
“both [of the rental properties] “The two houses were in the neighborhood, but this other house is literally right down the street, and now I feel like a smarter, more enlightened homeowner,” Peoples said. He told FOX News Digital. We have taken various precautions among our tenants to avoid becoming a target for squatters. ”
“But surprisingly, while my house was vacant, squatters moved in right next door to my house and lived in the house next door for several days. Squatting is still common throughout the United States.”
Squatters left thousands of dollars in damage to Patti Peeples’ home. (Patty Peoples)
“I still own real estate, I only have one house, and I have no intention of buying any more. For me, real estate right now is a really scary, tricky, and frankly expensive business.”
Regarding the squatters who took over the home a year ago, Peoples said one person was “arrested on charges of trespassing and criminal mischief.”
Peoples recently went to court seeking “substantial” damages.
“I believe more evidence will be presented because the judge postponed the arraignment for another month because I went to court asking for damages, and because I went to court asking for damages, I believe that more evidence will be presented.” We are seeking substantial damages equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
“The day before the squatters moved in, I had received an offer for the full sale price of the house, but of course I had to decline that offer while the squatters were in. It took 36 days to evict the squatters and more than a month to repair the damage.”
“And I was able to put the house on the market again. However, the housing market dropped a bit during those months, so the offer I ended up receiving was considerably lower than my initial offer.” “So it’s also a loss of income, potential income, and I’m seeking damages for that as well,” Peoples said.
Peoples said she doesn’t know what the judge will decide, but it’s just one of the additional costs she will incur.
In addition to the significant financial costs to homeowners when squatters live on the property, Peoples said he has lost sleep and has feared for his safety, and the mental toll a person can endure. emphasized.
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“They assaulted me and threatened me,” she said. “I’m still worried about my home because the squatters know my address. I’m worried they’ll do something to my current property, my pets, me. And all of this is still the traumatic stress that comes from living here.” In the midst of a squatting situation.
Ms Peoples described it as a “nuisance” when property owners resort to violence to remove squatters or hire others to help remove squatters from their homes. The police have no power in such situations.
“I decided to work within the law,” she said. “I think that’s the way everyone should go, but if states don’t choose to change their laws, that will be one of the only options available to people, and that means violence will continue to occur.” To do.”
