States scramble to close legal loopholes squatters use to take homes from owners

Lawmakers in states across the country are belatedly moving to restore the property rights of owners who have been forced into lengthy and often costly court battles to reclaim their houses from squatters exploiting pandemic-era tenant protections to take over empty houses.

Savvy scammers invoke squatter’s rights by entering unoccupied homes and falsifying residency documents. The process can suck rightful homeowners into a monthslong eviction battle while the squatters sell off appliances and turn houses into drug dens, leaving landlords with thousands of dollars in repairs and lost rent once all is said and done.

The formula for stealing a house is so foolproof that one illegal immigrant became famous on social media by sharing his step-by-step guide to “invading” vacant homes.