Following increased safeguards for rental landlords enacted by the Republican-controlled government, the Georgia police are cracking down on squatters.
Local news footage showed cops teasing accused squatters who took advantage of legal loopholes.
Until House Bill 1017, a property owner-squatter dispute was a civil issue that may take months to resolve. Squatters remained for free while landlords paid the bills and mortgages.
The new regulation criminalizes squatting if a suspect cannot prove they legally reside in the home within three days. Criminal citations for presenting fraudulent leases are now felonies.
South Fulton Police established a task force to evict squatters, but other departments are determining how to enforce the new regulation.
Neighbors HOAs and can report squatters per the law.
An Army officer reported a squatter in her home in 2023 while on active duty. She found the squatter after preparing to put up the house for sale. Since it was civil, police were unable to evict them. Under the old laws, the squatter had more protection under the law than Daure did.
According to South Fulton authorities Lt. Jubal Rogers, the new ordinance would allow authorities to remove squatters in several days.
Rogers said that this regulation makes it illegal to squat in a home without a lease and they can now respond more aggressively with the existing legislation.
According to research by the National Rental Home Council, squatters have taken up residence in up to 1,200 empty houses in Atlanta, Georgia, alone.
In one case, authorities found a squatter living on the property of an owner who was suing for $60,000 in overdue rent.
State Representative Matt Reeves (R) said the new legislation could finally put an end to squatters. If you are found guilty of document fraud, you will be sentenced to prison.
Both houses of Georgia’s legislature are controlled by Republicans, and the governor is also a Republican.
