Deadbeats are getting better and better at manipulating laws to take advantage of property owners, who have to go through a jungle of red tape to remove squatters from their homes. A process that can drag out for months, if not years, and cost homeowners thousands of dollars.
A video making the rounds online showcases a frustrated California homeowner who is stuck for the time being with an Airbnb guest who decided she liked her accommodations so much that she was not going to leave.
The property owner is seen complaining about her predicament and how the police are of little help. Her frustration overflows as the squatter prances around her home, helping herself to the contents of the kitchen before demanding that the owner not come “to my door” as she returned to a bedroom within the residence.
In California, an AirBnB guest who has stayed for (X) number of days can claim to be a squatter and refuse eviction.
Beyond belief. https://t.co/mZEateEURq
— Wilfred X. Reilly, Californian (@wil_da_beast630) March 20, 2023
Democratic lawmakers around the country are siding with “tenants” over property owners who are often vilified as greedy, a phenomenon that took off during the Covid-19 pandemic some now like to call the “scam-demic.” In California, there is something known as “30-day squatter’s rights,” which allows an individual without a lease to gain the legal right to stay on a property as a tenant if they merely occupy it continuously for 30 days.
In Washington state, a group of squatters was finally removed from a property by a SWAT team after three years, only to return the very next day to cut the new locks and start the whole process over again.
One thing is certain, while perusing the online responses to the story it’s not hard to ascertain who is not a property owner:
Tenants have rights. Deal with it.
— Roy Newswarthy (@EvelynxPrime) March 20, 2023
Good. Literally everyone is tired of people turning homes into unregistered hotels. Anything that discourages that and protects tenants rights is a plus.
— Fool Me Once (@half_a_100k) March 20, 2023
Here’s a sampling of other responses from Twitter that shows this is a widespread problem that affects people all across the country:
Anyone you’re dating who stays over a few nights can do the same. There are Nightmare scenarios of people being ejected from their own house by players who screwed the owners in every way.
— Change My Mind (@FactApparatchik) March 20, 2023
during covid, MI courts were closed. squatters took over one of our units. we found out immediately, called police. Police said it was civil issue, had to go through courts (which were closed). 9 months and down 20k later, evicted. If I had self evicted, they could have sued me.
— jrdy (@tfd_jrdy) March 20, 2023
It’s very believable and just the tip of the iceberg of ridiculous regulations & laws in CA. These people should be asked who they voted for in the last local and State elections.
— Steve B 744 (@SteveBellow) March 20, 2023
As I understand it, if they stay more than 7 consecutive days, they are considered a tenant, rather than a guest. They can be evicted, but only after 30 days with notice. .
— Bart Taliaferro (@bartholomewtali) March 20, 2023
I had to evict non-paying tenants (who were purposely destroying the property) in CA a few years ago. It took several months to get a court date, then two additional months to get the sheriff to evict. 5-6 months total. It was insane.
— Michael Sleestak (@SleestakMack) March 20, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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