A Georgia man whose vacant rental property was seized by squatters while he was away caring for his sick wife said it would be especially difficult to evict squatters under the limitations of current law.
“Basically, these guys came on a Friday, broke into my house, and had all my stuff brought in in a U-Haul. I’m frustrated. I’m so frustrated. I can’t even sleep.” said real estate agent Paul Cullins. WSB-TV in Atlanta.
The incident occurred in DeKalb County, a suburb of Atlanta, where squatting continues to take a toll on residential areas in the Peach State.
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Georgia homeowner Paul Cullins told Atlanta’s WSB-TV that his rental property had been taken over by squatters. (Fox News/Getty)
Cullins told the outlet that she spent thousands of dollars renovating the house she inherited from her father, who died of cancer three years ago.
Reports last week suggested that he advertised the property online, forcing squatters to move in and take over.
They then changed the locks and gave police a false lease, he said, leading WSB-TV’s Tom to suspect at least three squatters were living in the house. shared with Mr. Regan.
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Vehicles drive on a freeway in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Atlanta’s residential communities continue to struggle with an out-of-control squatter crisis. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“She had it on her phone. She didn’t even have an actual cell phone.” [physical] Reese,” he said of one.
The squatters refused to answer questions when confronted by Regan as he tried to enter the home.
According to the National Rental Housing Council trade group, about 1,200 homes in the metropolitan area are occupied by squatters, and current state law prevents homeowners like Cullins from owning what is rightfully theirs. There are limited options for getting it back.
Squatting is currently considered a civil matter in the Peach State, but the state Legislature is considering a bill that would make the act a distinct criminal offense.
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“We have to do something about this,” Republican Rep. Devan Thiebau, a co-sponsor of the Georgia Squatter Reform Act (HB 1017), told Fox News Digital last month.
“We are dealing with criminals who know exactly what they are doing and are stealing other people’s most valuable capital: their homes. I’ve heard from a lot of people, this is what caused them.” They have to file for bankruptcy. They’re emotionally damaged by it. It’s a tough situation and we… Something has to be done. I don’t know what took us this long to get here…but we’re not getting free rides anymore,” he continued.
Although the bill is sponsored only by Republicans, it has overwhelming bipartisan support.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives unanimously last week and now heads to the Senate.
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