“People feel they can get away with almost anything. And they do.”
They can even take your home.
The Daily Caller’s new original documentary, “American Squatter,” will expose the dirtiest secret in the housing market: squatters are king. If they’re in your home, they all but own it — and in our broken system, there’s very little you can do about it.
“American Squatter” is now available to stream exclusively for Patriots subscribers. Catch a first glimpse below.
First, the Daily Caller uncovered the true cost of the Defund the Police movement in “Lawless.” Then “Rigged” exposed the issue Democrats fear most: how their political machine managed to secure Joe Biden the presidency in 2020. Now, with “American Squatter,” we take on a broken housing system that rewards criminals and punishes responsible homeowners.
The Daily Caller’s investigative team travels from city to city, speaking with homeowners who have fallen victim to squatters. Sometimes, opportunists prey on a landlord’s kindness or incapacitation. We spoke with one New York City resident who lost her elderly mother’s home after squatters took advantage of her good nature.
Other times, it’s professional squatters who search out empty homes to claim as their own. As one Los Angeles homeowner learned the hard way, even a short vacation could mean losing your dream home. Even a Beverly Hills mansion can fall to squatters.
The timeline goes a little something like this:
Day 1
You find someone in your home and you call the police. If there’s no evidence of a break-in, and if the occupants claim squatters’ rights, there’s nothing the police can do. It becomes a civil matter and you must start the expensive journey through the court system.
So you hire an eviction attorney and then it becomes a waiting game.
Day 45
Likely the earliest you’ll get a court date. Your attorney must serve everyone in the house and file notices — and that takes time.
The best-case scenario is that your squatters don’t show up to court. Then you can start to evict them after another 30 to 45 days. But you still have to store their things for another six months.
More likely, however, they will show up and drag the process out to stay in “their home” as long as possible.
Day 365+
If they show, then the long process of litigation begins. There are delays. There are re-schedulings. There are appeals. The squatter can even file for bankruptcy, which puts an automatic stay on any judicial process until the bankruptcy is resolved.
All the while, you’re still responsible for all the normal upkeep of the property as if you had paying tenants. You can’t shut off water or heat. You can’t change the locks. If you do, you can be fined or even arrested.
We spoke with one New York City landlord who was dragged out of her own home in handcuffs after squatters called the police on her for attempting to change the locks.
By the time it’s all over, you can find yourself tens of thousands of dollars in debt, your property completely destroyed.
It’s no wonder that homeowners sometimes resort to bribing their squatters with up to $100,000 just to leave. More often, however, the victims are regular people who can barely afford to pay their bills.
Liberals want you to think that squatter’s rights protect the little guy who just needs a few more weeks to make rent. But the truth is, they empower a whole cottage industry of crime.
Professional squatters use fake leases to turn nice properties into trap houses. Often, they turn to violence to keep the owners off “their” property. And with all the bloat and backlog in the court system, an eviction can take years to rule on let alone enforce. From the smallest apartment to the grandest estate, no one is immune.
Most Americans don’t know their property can be taken over by squatters at any time. “American Squatters” aims to shed light on this rapidly growing trend and give Americans the tools they need to protect their most valuable assets.
The Daily Caller’s documentary productions are made possible by our faithful Patriots members, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. To watch “American Squatter,” and to help support future investigative documentaries, please consider subscribing.