New York Passed a New Law to Combat Rising Squatting Incidents

Becoming Squatters, How Life Can Suddenly Change — (Photo : Jasper Juinen/Getty Images) SEVILLE, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Thirty-three year old Vanessa Arias Fernandez (L), who were evicted from her home together with her family, sits in the living room with her children, seven-year-old Yeray and her five-year-old twins Kiomara and Tatiana, lit by the yellow street lights, at her apartment, which is part of a complex occupied by the Corrala Utopia community on June 1, 2013 in Seville, Spain.In 2010 Spanish banks foreclosed more than 100,000 households which contributed to the already large number of empty houses. With as many as one million properties unsold, victims of Spain's financial crisis, struggling to keep a roof over their head due to high levels of unemployment and severe cuts to social welfare, have turned to squatting in the empty buildings. The Corrala Utopia is a community, on a steadily growing list of communities all over Spain, living in squatted buildings. In this case the building stood empty for three years before the squatters moved in almost a year ago. The community houses a total of 36 families including almost 40 children. The families are cut off from water and electricity and live with an uncertain future and the fear of being evicted soon again. For the first time in history over 6 million Spaniards are jobless in Spain, the euro zone's fourth-biggest economy.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-NY, recently signed a portion of the New York State budget that includes a new law aimed at combatting the rising squatting incidents in the state.

Gov. Hochul signed the bill Monday morning, which includes a range of laws and initiatives to address housing market issues. Among these laws was one that made changes to the state's property laws, redefining the word "tenant" to exclude squatters.

While the change may be small, lawmakers said it will make it easier for police to intervene in cases where an individual enters a home without permission from the owner or legal paperwork.

Before, law enforcement could not intervene in squatting issues because it was considered a civil case. Homeowners would have been required to file an eviction lawsuit. The entire process can take up to five months and burden property owners with hefty legal fees.

"Included within our budget is language that will exclude squatters from tenancy rights and define squatters under the law which is a key component of the legislation we spoke about last time," Senator Jake Blumencranz said.

The new bill comes as squatting incidents in the state have risen over the past months. Just last month, a homeowner in Queens was arrested after she attempted to remove a group of squatters from a $1 million property she inherited from her parents. In a separate case, a pair of squatters sued the rightful owners of a $930,000 investment home they took over.

Other Measures Included in the Bill

Apart from addressing the state's squatting incidents, the New York State budget Gov. Hochul signed also included new "Good Cause Eviction" laws, which would allow tenants to take their landlords to court if they raise rental prices by more than 5% or 10% plus inflation. It also gives landlords the power to evict tenants for "gross negligence" if they fail to pay rent or refuse to allow the landlord to make repairs.

The bill would also provide tax exemptions for housing developments with affordable units. Furthermore, New York will also provide discounts on the effective residential tax rates of developers who convert abandoned office buildings into housing.