New York Lawmakers Finally Take On Squatters

By FrumNews.com

Albany, NY —  New York legislators are finally making changes to tenant protection laws, which have enabled squatters to illegally take possession of a home without the homeowner’s knowledge.

For decades, liberal lawmakers in Albany turned a blind eye to the ever-growing problem of illegal squatters. Cowardly politicians preferred to be in the good graces of the ‘homeless lobby’ than their tax-paying constituents.

But recently, things came to a head.

Following several well-publicized clashes between squatters and homeowners in recent months, some even resulting in the arrest of the homeowner or hundreds of thousands in debt, lawmakers finally realized that the current situation is untenable.

In New York’s fiscal year 2025 state budget agreement, signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last Monday, squatters are specifically excluded from tenant protections under New York State law.

State Senator John Liu (D-16) and Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-40) introduced the bill on April 8th. With more than half a dozen lawmakers co-sponsored it.

The new law defines a “squatter” as someone staying on a property without permission from its owner or the owner’s representative. The changes will make it easier for police to remove squatters without years of litigation in landlord-tenant court.

Until now it took only 30 days of occupancy for a squatter to be considered a “legal tenant” under New York City law.

“As part of the historic actions to address the housing crisis in the [fiscal year] 2025 budget, Governor Hochul reached an agreement to reinforce existing law to make clear that squatters are not tenants, supporting property owners statewide,” a Hochul spokesperson said.

“It was important that we acted with urgency to send a strong message to squatters who take over private homes that they are not welcome in our community.” State Senator John Liu said in a statement, “Scam artists who intrude on others’ homes should not have rights as tenants in state housing law, and this inclusion in the budget codifies that in simple, straightforward language. Defining squatter is an important step forward, and we will continue examining even stronger measures to protect homeowners without inadvertently putting renters at risk.”