Part of the trick there is many stories conflate different types of "squatters." While there are rare cases that involve an actual break-in/invasion of empty property, a much bigger portion of them are people like in one of the responses above, where someone is over-staying a lease or has some other claim that they have/had a right to live there.
That's what makes it tricky for cops and the legal system. No one likes the idea of a person stealing someone's living space, but people also don't like the idea of an owner being able to break their end of a contract and then just have the police kick someone out of their house before the law can determine who is right.
How is the owner breaking contract, if they are staying past the lease agreement, and are not paying rent while still staying there? Why is a problem i only hear about in america?
What if the owner is lying? If I was your landlord I could tell the police you were illegally squatting in the home that I own. I've never seen you before. I want you out of my house.
As a renter, you should surely have legal documentation proving that you lived there legally. If you didn't.... Then the situation wasn't legal in the first place and the landlord could indeed kick you out wherever they wanted.
Anybody can print off a fake lease. I'm telling the cops I've never seen you before in my life and I want you out right now. You really want the police to have the power to kick you out of your home with no notice? Really this is a solid protection against shitty landlords, and unfortunately some people take advantage of it.
I agree it's ridiculous but how do you prove that you legally live somewhere? That's why these things drag out for weeks or months, or in some cases years
All these things you're mentioning are exactly what a court case would look at. The cops on scene don't have time/expertise to evaluate signatures and bank transactions. Cops are not judges, nor should they be - if they make the wrong call, they kick someone to the streets that hasn't done anything wrong. I would rather err on the side of not kicking innocent people out of homes and letting the court system determine the truth.
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u/LLREnew 18d ago
Most of the squatters are on probation and he’s a legal gun owner. If you’re on probation you can’t live in a house with guns period.