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Cities across the United States are experiencing a rapid increase in illegal occupations (in which people illegally invade and occupy land they have no right to live on).
However, many corporate media outlets, such as the Washington Post, WNYC, and Dave Weigel,, published an article that diminished the importance or even existence of this trend. They and many others have recently News coverage of squatting It’s just a “right-wing talking point” or “movement” for an issue that “rarely” occurs.
But, as always, the media is wrong in many ways.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill into law making squatters law. (Governor Ron DeSantis/FB)
First, they are unnecessarily politicizing the issue. And second, the rise in squatting is particularly real in large cities, and bad laws and short-sighted housing policies are exacerbating the situation.
The squatting trend is at a tipping point as immigrants teach others how to abuse the law.Experts warn that “the damage has been done”
According to the National Rental Housing Council, an estimated 1,200 homes are illegally occupied in Atlanta alone. The city has been plagued by the problem for more than a decade, with stories dating back to 2013 of people moving into homes they don’t own or refusing to leave.
And in Philadelphia, the city council was forced to pass an ordinance in 2018 to make it easier to remove squatters. Professional squatters who understand how long it takes to remove a squatter through the courts (up to one year at the time, compared to up to two years in other cities like New York) , will move in and demand money for eviction. Joseph Ray, then president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors, called this “extortion.”
And then there’s New York. Gothamist insists there is no squatting problem in the city.
Tell that to Adele Andaloro, who was arrested in Flushing for “unlawfully evicting” squatters who moved into the house she inherited from her mother. Or tell that to Steve Murkowski, who witnessed his neighbor’s home in Bayside being taken over by squatters, resulting in the shooting of a teenager inside.
The left cares about squatters’ rights, putting homeowners like you at risk
These stories only scratch the surface, but affected homeowners will never say that squatting is just a “right-wing topic.”
In reality, squats are a big deal. And the situation is made worse by a lack of housing supply. Limited supply is driving up housing prices, and the exorbitant costs keep affordable housing out of reach for too many people in this country.
Indeed, this harsh reality is do not have Justifying trespassing on private property. But it explains where city, state and national leaders should focus their efforts to solve the squatter problem in the long term: increasing the supply of housing.
As supply increases, costs decrease. Cheaper rents would make illegal activities less attractive, and fewer people would break the law to find a place to live.
Texas homeowner furious squatter refuses to vacate property, police won’t remove him: ‘I don’t trust anyone’
And throwing tax dollars at the housing cost problem is not the solution.
Rather, the way to increase supply is to make construction easier. We need fewer regulations, lower fees, and less restrictive zoning. NIMBYs should not be given the opportunity to interfere with the private property rights of others.
These changes make housing construction more affordable, resulting in lower prices for buyers or residential tenants.
But that’s the long-term solution. In the short term, local ordinances and state laws should be rewritten to ensure that illegal squatters are not treated the same as legal tenants who have genuine disputes with homeowners in rental properties.
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In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation that makes it easier to remove squatters while protecting tenants who have legitimate disputes with homeowners.
And in New York state, the Legislature responded to the Andaloro lawsuit in Queens by passing a bill specifically exempting squatters from tenant protections under the Landlord and Tenant Act. New York City recognizes squatters as trespassers. Other states and cities should do the same.
Property rights are the basis of a stable society. When property is protected from government “grasp” or theft, it promotes peaceful coexistence and leads to calculated risk-taking, which benefits not only the owners but society as a whole.
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Turning a blind eye as squatters usurp property rights, or denying that the problem exists, is simply tacitly encouraging efforts to destabilize society.
Squats are a real problem and need real solutions. To deny its existence is to deny reality.
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