New York Governor Signs Squatter Law in Favor of Homeowners

In the wake of a series of high-profile squatter cases making national headlines, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed into law a bill that would make it easier for homeowners across the state to evict unlawful occupants. State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, a Long Island Republican, spearheaded the bill. It modifies a section of New York property law that describes a tenant as an occupant of a home “who has been in possession for 30 consecutive days or longer,” clarifying that squatters are not tenants and, therefore, not entitled to tenants’ protections under a landlord-tenant relationship. “A tenant shall not include a person who enters onto property with the intent of squatting on such property or who otherwise settles on land or occupies property without title, right, permission of the rightful owner, or payment of rent,” the law now reads....