Red state governor signs bill cracking down on squatters: 'Best dwelling' for them 'is a jail cell'

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed into law on Monday a bill that strengthens the rights of homeowners against squatters who illegally occupy their property.

The measure, House Bill 182, was sponsored by state Rep. Craig Lipscomb and creates harsher penalties for individuals who occupy property they do not own. Additionally, the measure enhances penalties for those who falsify real estate documents – such as a lease or deed – in an effort to show they have a right to occupy the property.

The new law, which received bipartisan support in the state legislature and will become enforceable on June 1, also establishes a process administered by local law enforcement officials to rapidly remove individuals who are wrongfully occupying property they do not own.

"It has been said that a person’s home is their castle, yet after a national rise in illegal occupations of homeowner’s private property, it is apparent that more must be done to halt criminals from commandeering people’s homes," Ivey said in a statement Monday.

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"In Alabama, private property rights are paramount. This new law puts would-be squatters on notice that any attempt to hijack and take over someone’s home will be met with swift action by law enforcement. The best dwelling for an illegal squatter is a jail cell, and we in state government should never rest easy until all Alabama homeowners’ rights are fully protected."

The new law will make it easier for homeowners and authorities to remove squatters from illegally occupied dwellings and adds a new definition to the state's classification of third-degree burglary, a class C felony. The new definition states that individuals can be charged with burglary in the third degree if they enter or remain unlawfully in a dwelling and intentionally cause more than $1,000 in damage.

Other bills to combat illegal squatting have been signed into law in several other GOP-led states recently, including Florida and Georgia.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in March that outlines how squatters will face criminal charges for illegally moving into a home and allows property owners to file an affidavit showing they legally own a property.

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Under the new law in the Sunshine State, which will take effect July 1, property owners can now call on the sheriff’s office to immediately remove squatters from their homes if the suspects are unable to produce documents authorizing their residency by the property owner. 

The law "will give the homeowner the ability to quickly and legally remove a squatter from a property and which will increase criminal penalties for squatting. Now, we have not had the same type of issues here, as you've seen in California or New York. Nevertheless, our laws were really geared towards this not necessarily being a fad," DeSantis said earlier this year.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a measure that would increase penalties for individuals occupying property that does not belong to them.

Under the new law, offenders could face a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. If they forge a fake lease, they could be charged with a felony.

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"This is insanity, that people just think they can come in and take over somebody's home. I mean it's just outrageous," Kemp said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" last month. "It really points to, as we've seen around the country, the lawlessness that's gone on under the Biden administration."