Walking past your friend’s house on your way home, you know she’s traveling. However, you see that the lights are on and there are strangers living inside the house, making it their home without permission. This is an uncommon recurrence, but things like this happen––and it’s called squatting, a rising issue in our country. While some see squatters as troublemakers, others view them as victims of a broken system. It’s time we take a hard look at squatting rights and make some changes to the laws.

The Problem with Current Squatting Laws

Right now, squatting laws are all over the place. They’re very complicated and vastly different depending on a specific area. According to Doorloops article about New Jersey’s Squatting Rights, if squatters stay in a building long enough, they can get legal rights to it, making them a tenant under the law. More specifically, the article states, “This makes the person a tenant at will, which means while they are allowed to be on the property, an eviction notice is no longer required, and they can be put out at any time” [1]. This causes major problems for people just trying to find a place to live. Many squatters are in really tough situations––they might be homeless or struggling to make ends meet. When it comes to protecting property owners, this New Jersey law is generous: current laws in other states don’t do as good of a job protecting property owners, leading to messy conflicts that divide our communities.

In our country, like many others, homelessness is on the rise, and there isn’t enough affordable housing for everyone. People are forced to find shelter wherever they can. On the other hand, property owners get frustrated when their buildings are taken over, leading to disagreements that can end up in court or even with people kicked out onto the street. This cycle of conflict is not helping anyone.

A Balanced Solution

To fix these issues, we need to balance squatting rights in a way that’s fair to both squatters and property owners. First, we should create clear rules that recognize why some people squat out of necessity. What if our local government set up a system where squatters could register? This would help make sure they’re not treated like criminals and can get help finding jobs or permanent housing. It would also give property owners a clear process to get their buildings back once squatters have had a reasonable amount of time to find somewhere else to live.

We should also make property owners take care of their buildings. If a building sits empty for too long, whether someone is traveling or it can be someone’s secondary house they don’t use, maybe the city could step in to either make the owner fix it up or turn it into affordable housing, or speak with the owner. That way, we could help alleviate the housing crisis while reducing the number of unoccupied/empty buildings that attract squatters in the first place.

Conclusion

Changing squatting rights isn’t just about protecting property; it’s about recognizing that everyone deserves a place to call home. By creating laws that give temporary protection to squatters while ensuring property owners can get their space back, we can build a system that’s fairer for everyone. After all, a city where everyone has a safe place to live is a better place for all of us.

Sources

[1]https://www.doorloop.com/laws/new-jersey-squatters-rights#tenants-at-sufferance