Imagine returning from out of town to discover upon checking on one of your supposedly vacant rental properties that you can’t get inside – because squatters have illegally taken it over.
Squatters — unauthorized residents of uninhabited homes who don’t pay rent to the rightful owner — have caused major headaches for homeowners and landlords in the United States, and the problem is getting out of control in Georgia, lawmakers say.
What makes the problem worse is that in most states, including Georgia, these illegal inhabitants can take advantage of squatters’ rights or adverse possession, which can protect them and allow them to remain in the stolen property.
The Peach State “has been identified as the No. 1 place for squatting,” according to Georgia Rep. Devan Seabaugh, a Republican legislator who recently introduced House Bill 1017 to help combat the issue of squatting in the state’s vacant homes.
The bill, also known as the Georgia Squatter Reform Act, is making its way through the state legislature. It aims to take away squatters’ rights and label the act of squatting a criminal trespass offense in the state, Seabaugh said on Facebook.
The National Rental Home Council estimates around 1,200 metro Atlanta homes have recently been invaded by squatters, more than any other metro area in the US that the council keeps track of, Bloomberg reported.
“We have to stop it,” Seabaugh said. These squatters are criminals. They are harming homeowners, legal tenants, and realtors and making our neighborhoods unsafe.”
The bill’s passing would mean squatters would be immediately removed from properties, jailed and fined, according to Seabaugh.
Undercover Report Reveals Home Listing Service for Squatters
How are squatters gaining access to these homes? One way, as a WSB-TV investigation recently unveiled in Atlanta, is through ads online.
The news outlet sent an undercover producer to inquire about renting…
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