In response to the problem of hired bullies, Florida GovernorDeSantis(Ron DeSantis) recently signed HB 621, which eliminates trespassers’ rights in the state and increases penalties for trespassers. The law will take effect on July 1 this year. DeSantis said,FloridaIt is the first state in the United States to directly confront the problem of rent-seekers and propose solutions.
“We’re eliminating the squatter scam in Florida,” DeSantis said. While other states are taking the side of rental bullies, he added, “we’re protecting property owners and punishing those who try to commit fraud.” He also said that criminals of the system, “You can’t confiscate someone’s personal property and expect to get away with it.”
The Act provides that a person may be considered a tenant if three conditions are met: the person enters and remains on the property illegally; The owner instructs the person to leave the property but the occupier fails to do so; And the person is not the current or former tenant who is in legal dispute. The homeowner can then ask law enforcement to immediately remove the occupant.
The law also stipulates that making a false statement in writing or providing false documents to prove property rights is punishable by a felony of the first degree; And an occupying resident who causes damage of $1,000 or more is punishable by a crime of the second degree.
DeSantis also specifically stated,CaliforniaAnd New York, which has a massive rent-payment problem, says blue states protect squatters, while Florida will crack down on them and treat them like criminals.
Florida resident Justin Mielekarek said at the governor’s press conference that squatters have caused him and his neighbors a lot of trouble, including reckless driving, drugs, weapons and verbal threats. He said illegal encroachers kept his entire block in fear for five months last year. Milkarek said that although he called the police, he was told that the police had no authority to evict the encroachers and that the encroachers had also submitted a fake lease.
The Florida Association of Realtors applauded the newly signed anti-rental law, with association vice president Andy Gonzalez saying the Sunshine State has a deterrent to prevent horror stories from happening. He said that if you own a property, the owner should not suffer the consequences of legal loopholes after someone takes possession of the property, even if you are away for some time.
Previously, every state in the United States considered squatters as tenants, and the legal owner of the home had to go through lengthy litigation to legally evict the squatters.
Location(tagstotranslate)Florida