Real Estate Mogul on Squatters: 'Something Bad Is Going to Happen'

It's a truism that people will only put up with so much for so long. Nowhere is that truer than with situations involving our homes or significant capital investments like real estate. So when someone breaks into the homes or properties of law-abiding folk, they tend to get a little peevish about it, especially when law enforcement shows up, shrugs, and indicates they can't do anything - or even arrest the lawful owner. That's intolerable, and now real estate dealer and podcaster Shawn Meaike is concerned that sooner or later, something bad is going to happen. He may be right.

"People are going to start taking matters into their own hands. That’s what we do when there is lawlessness," Meaike told Fox News Digital.
"Something really bad is going to happen," he said. "Am I saying this right thing to do? No, I'm not."
Squatting, whereby strangers move into the properties of American homeowners and refuse to leave, has quickly become part of the zeitgeist as a series of news-making stories have shocked the nation.
Squatters can gain certain legal rights under specific conditions, such as continuous occupation for a defined period, typically ranging from 5 to 20 years, depending on the state. In some states where laws make it difficult for police to intervene, including New York, homeowners and landlords are left with few options to reclaim their property. Many victims are forced to submit to costly and lengthy civil processes.

Lawlessness is a good description of what is going on here. New York, in particular, has many home and property owners struggling with this situation due to laws ostensibly passed to protect tenants but which are being abused to protect squatters.

NYC homeowners who lost their homes to squatters sat down with CBS.

Some of them are now in debt for paying electricity and maintenance bills for the squatters.

Squatters turn into tenants after 30 DAYS.

After that timeframe, homeowners will be arrested if they turn off… pic.twitter.com/jOKXVcR4f3
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 5, 2024

After that timeframe, homeowners will be arrested if they turn off electricity/water, attempt to evict them, or change locks.

It's hard to imagine what any of us might do in a situation like this, especially if it were our home that squatters have taken over. But that's what happened to a Queens couple, Susana and Joseph Landa, who bought a retirement home only to find a squatter had taken it over. Now they are embroiled in a legal battle to get the squatter out.

Some states have already taken action.

It's Happening Everywhere: Vacant London Pub Owned by Gordon Ramsay Taken Over by Squatters

I suspect Mr. Meaike is correct. Sooner or later, someone will snap. I won't speculate what form that may take.

This doesn't have to happen. Florida, under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, has shown the way to deal with this; only last month a new law in Florida put squatters on notice that law enforcement will remove them from any property under the following conditions:

Under HB 621, a property owner can request law enforcement to immediately remove a squatter from their property if the following conditions are met:
The individual has unlawfully entered and remains on the property;
The individual has been directed to leave the property by the owner but has not done so; and
The individual is not a current or former tenant in a legal dispute.

This is how it should be done. But will the blue states, like New York, follow Florida's example?

The government has only two legitimate functions: To protect the liberty and property of the citizens. In this (as in so many other areas), New York has failed. One need look no further than the case of Susana and Joseph Landa to see this. It is intolerable to live under the boot of a government that not only fails to protect our private property but actually works against the interests of property owners like the Landas.

Put yourself in the position of one of these homeowners. Let's say you have saved for years to take your family on a dream vacation, say in Polynesia, the Caribbean, Europe - or Alaska. You enjoy your two-week adventure, but when you return, criminal squatters have taken over your home. They claim to have a lease, which you know is fake, but when you summon law enforcement, they shrug and say you'll have to take it up in civil court. This could take months or even years, during which time you must still pay the mortgage and utilities on your own home, which is occupied by criminals, who are, by the way, trashing the place. If you don't pay, you may be facing criminal penalties yourself. What would you do? What would you want to do?

Mr. Meaike is right. That's a recipe for something bad happening, and it's only a matter of time. Florida has shown how to deal with it. Will New York listen?