Assemblyman Brian Miller (R,C-New Hartford) joined his colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference for a press conference to advocate for changes to New York’s laws regarding squatters’ rights. Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz (R,C-Oyster Bay) proposed Assembly Bill 6894, which would protect the rights of homeowners and add squatting to the definition of criminal trespassing. Currently, squatters gain homeowner rights after 30 days of occupying a residence, which this bill would push to 45 days and allow for police to arrest trespassers. The introduced changes will give homeowners more protection from losing their properties to squatters and give law enforcement the authorization they need to remove offenders.

Just last week, two squatters killed a woman in Manhattan in her mother’s apartment and on a separate occasion a homeowner was arrested for trying to evict trespassers from their property. These recent occurrences highlight how urgently our communities need to confront the problems of trespassing and squatting. Maintaining property rights and the rule of law while ensuring the safety and security of citizens is crucial.

“The Property Protection Act is meant to close the massive loopholes in the law and face the squatting crisis head-on. To address this issue, our proposal uses straightforward common sense to reduce the danger of squatters from overtaking the homeowner’s property. Squatters do not deserve protection under our housing laws, but they do deserve to be treated like the criminals they are. It is time to act and protect New Yorkers and their homes,” said Miller.