A new law passed by the General Assembly protects Tennessee property owners from squatters, which has become a hot topic of debate around the country as the practice becomes more prevalent.
“Home ownership is the American dream for many, the foundation for building wealth and raising a family,” State Representative Tim Rudd (pictured above) (R-Murfreesboro) said in a press release after the passage of HB 1259. “This is proactive legislation that protects property owners but also deters bad actors who have learned to exploit the law and terrorize homeowners. This creates a streamlined process for Tennesseans to quickly take back control over what is rightfully theirs.”
Squatting is the practice of illegally occupying land owned by another person.
The release says the bill “removes much of the burden from legitimate property owners by establishing a clear process for law enforcement to restore possession. It can expedite the removal of illegal occupants in as little as 72 hours [and] the legislation also clarifies that the sheriff may arrest the trespassers.”
“Dishonest trespassers have learned to exploit the law in places like New York, where a squatter who occupies a home for at least 30 days can be granted tenant rights,” the press release says. “Lawful property owners are then forced to go through a court eviction process to reclaim their homes.”
In New York, a major hub for squatting, homeowners often have difficulty evicting squatters.
A law in that state says that if landlords call the police on squatters, and squatters claim to be tenants of the property, police are not allowed to arrest the squatters.
Instead, property owners are often forced into lengthy legal battles to evict squatters.
The practice made headlines days ago when a squatter in a New York City apartment was found to have been profiting from his squatting by subletting the apartment out.
Before that, a Venezuelan “migrant influencer” who made several viral TikTok videos encouraging fellow illegal aliens to squat on other people’s land was arrested on gun charges and faces deportation.
As squatting has become more prevalent among illegal aliens, Congress has proposed a law that would make illegal aliens eligible for deportation if they are caught doing so.
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Tim Rudd” by Tim Rudd.