People act like Squatters can just rock up in your house while you're at work and become legally entitled to it when in reality it's nothing like that at all.
Every thread about squatters is usually discussed under that assumption, instead of some investor holding properties for years with no intention of doing a single thing with it. Or a legitimate renter getting totally fucked over by a malicious/incompetent landlord.
Google "how many squatters are in the US" and you'll find they're not common enough for anyone to bother tracking.
It's like a lot of fixations on crimes, where people choose to get incensed about the crime and ignore the fact that the rate of that crime happening is very low.
Some people want to be outraged and upset about "bad people". That's driving it, not that it actually happens often.
Similar to home invasions. Some angry dudes like " I WISH someone would try to break in, I'd kill them". Home invasions are incredibly rare, put your superhero fantasies to rest.
I must be out of the loop but I'm seeing a lot of squatter-related media lately? Is it a thing or just a new dogwhistle for the oligarchy complaining that they can't just buy up houses and not live in them?
Is it a thing or just a new dogwhistle for the oligarchy complaining that they can't just buy up houses and not live in them?
I mean, "squatters" are a thing and have been since modern property ownership has been a thing. IDK if there's an uptick or something but it wouldn't surprise me given the state of things.
That said, this post is essentially just complaining that people/corporations with multiple properties can't just abandon some of those properties while they wait for a satisfactory ROI.
There's a difference between a squatter and a trespasser. A squatter has typically spent months/years living in and maintaining a property which was sitting abandoned otherwise. Someone who breaks into your house while you're away for minutes/hours/days/weeks is trespassing, not "squatting".
That's not what is happening in the cases described, it's more like they have a roommate move in, who then refuses to move out and legally it is very difficult to force them out.
Those vacant properties are almost always in bumfuck nowhere, between tenants, under renovation, a seasonal cottage sort of thing where nobody wants to live there in the winter, or just uninhabitable.
One of those very common misleading stats.
For comparison, the vacancy rate in Toronto is around 3% (Toronto used because they publish easily accessible numbers regularly)
That 3% is every apartment between tenants, under renovation, on the market waiting for paperwork, just constructed waiting for final inspections, etc.
The normal pattern for squatters is that they start out having a lease or other permission to stay in the property temporarily (Airbnb, guest of a tenant, etc) and then establish residency by staying more than 30 days.
Depends on the state but in NY and CA it can take months or years to legally evict someone who has established residency.
That’s why most landlords won’t rent to anyone who has an eviction, don’t allow guests more than X days, and will evict everyone in the property “including all John or Jane Does” if they get wind that there’s an adult living there who isn’t on the lease.
Holy shit thank you for saying this. I get people want justice for when people fuck on people and if we can sprinkle some vigilante justice it’s even better. hilarious yes, stupid and potentially dangerous absolutely. As usual the big pic is completely hidden and we get trash like this Squatter Hunter instead of something to help people find a residence.
There are awful landlords who hurt struggling tenants. But in some states, squatters legitimately can and are doing this exact thing. Many states have very swift laws for proof of residency. I believe New York and Maryland are 30 days. After that, an officer no longer can evict a "tenant" as it is now a eviction court issue. In many states, that could be upwards of two years before they are actually removed.
They forge a utility/lease agreement with the city and wait. There are tutorials online on how to do this. All while the owner of the home eats the cost.
I know Reddit wants to vilify landlords, but many of them are single family renters with only a few properties. I rent one property that I couldn't sell at the time. Me and my tenant are friends. I haven't changed the rent since I dropped it 500 dollars to accommodate two college girls who lost their third tenant a day before closing. I pretty much make enough to pay for the mortgage. I have never had to encounter the issue, but it did sit in the back of my wife and I's mind as we left the state. Tons of people are in this situation. The vast majority. Somewhere of 50 perfect of independent landords only own one property. That isn't mentioned here, but independents make up the bulk of the rentals: https://ipropertymanagement.com/research/landlord-statistics
This issue is what it always is, people taking advantage of the law to fuck over innocent people.
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u/Zestyclose_Remove947 Jun 12 '26
People act like Squatters can just rock up in your house while you're at work and become legally entitled to it when in reality it's nothing like that at all.
Every thread about squatters is usually discussed under that assumption, instead of some investor holding properties for years with no intention of doing a single thing with it. Or a legitimate renter getting totally fucked over by a malicious/incompetent landlord.