Latest news with #SB1563
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: State lawmakers take welcome action to streamline process of evicting squatters
Chicago and the suburbs have seen a number of unthinkable stories detailing the plight of homeowners who've been unable to remove unwanted visitors. Marcia and Carlton Lee said they were locked out of their home for weeks by a squatter who changed the locks and refused to leave, using bogus mortgage documents to falsify ownership. The couple's trouble started in April and only resolved last week, when they regained control of the South Side property they're trying to sell. In another South Side story, a property owner named Marco Velazquez resorted to moving in with the people squatting in the house he'd put on the market when he was unable to secure their eviction. He said the police told him they couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, Velazquez paid the squatters $4,300 to move out, regaining control of his property in March. Both of these stories, reported originally by WLS-Ch. 7 in Chicago, made national headlines. Viewers and readers were shocked to learn that the system was set up to protect squatters over property owners. We're thankful Illinois legislators adopted a bill that changes this dynamic. The measure, easily clearing both houses of the legislature on bipartisan votes, would allow police to more quickly remove unauthorized occupants, commonly referred to as squatters, closing loopholes that have left some property owners unable to live in or sell their homes. Before the passage of Illinois Senate Bill 1563, known as the 'Squatters Bill,' law enforcement officers had to clear substantial hurdles before removing squatters. The existing legal framework often required property owners to initiate lengthy civil eviction proceedings, even when people occupied their homes without any lease or rental agreement. During this time, property owners were deprived of the use of their property and risked potential damages or depreciation in property value. The financial and emotional toll was considerable, especially for those relying on rental income or seeking to sell their property. SB 1563 clarifies that law enforcement may arrest individuals for trespassing and remove unauthorized persons or property where criminal trespass is occurring once the owners can prove the home is theirs. The measure enables police to act swiftly, distinguishing squatters from legal tenants. Springfield's overwhelming response to these reports was encouraging. The rights of property owners aren't always given the appropriate amount of respect, especially in a time of housing shortages and rising rents. We hope and expect Gov. JB Pritzker will sign this bill into law and restore some sanity to the system. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: State lawmakers take welcome action to streamline process of evicting squatters
Chicago and the suburbs have seen a number of unthinkable stories detailing the plight of homeowners who've been unable to remove unwanted visitors. Marcia and Carlton Lee said they were locked out of their home for weeks by a squatter who changed the locks and refused to leave, using bogus mortgage documents to falsify ownership. The couple's trouble started in April and only resolved last week, when they regained control of the South Side property they're trying to sell. In another South Side story, a property owner named Marco Velazquez resorted to moving in with the people squatting in the house he'd put on the market when he was unable to secure their eviction. He said the police told him they couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, Velazquez paid the squatters $4,300 to move out, regaining control of his property in March. Both of these stories, reported originally by WLS-Ch. 7 in Chicago, made national headlines. Viewers and readers were shocked to learn that the system was set up to protect squatters over property owners. We're thankful Illinois legislators adopted a bill that changes this dynamic. The measure, easily clearing both houses of the legislature on bipartisan votes, would allow police to more quickly remove unauthorized occupants, commonly referred to as squatters, closing loopholes that have left some property owners unable to live in or sell their homes. Before the passage of Illinois Senate Bill 1563, known as the 'Squatters Bill,' law enforcement officers had to clear substantial hurdles before removing squatters. The existing legal framework often required property owners to initiate lengthy civil eviction proceedings, even when people occupied their homes without any lease or rental agreement. During this time, property owners were deprived of the use of their property and risked potential damages or depreciation in property value. The financial and emotional toll was considerable, especially for those relying on rental income or seeking to sell their property. SB 1563 clarifies that law enforcement may arrest individuals for trespassing and remove unauthorized persons or property where criminal trespass is occurring once the owners can prove the home is theirs. The measure enables police to act swiftly, distinguishing squatters from legal tenants. Springfield's overwhelming response to these reports was encouraging. The rights of property owners aren't always given the appropriate amount of respect, especially in a time of housing shortages and rising rents. We hope and expect Gov. JB Pritzker will sign this bill into law and restore some sanity to the system.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-squatter bill receives near-unanimous support in Illinois Legislature
Note: The video attached to this story is from a 2023 WGN Investigates report. CHICAGO (WGN) — Few things receive near-unanimous support in the Illinois legislature, but a bill to crack down on squatters came close. 'We have people simply trespassing on people's property who don't belong there, squatting and taking residence up on their own,' said State Rep. Jawaharial Williams (D-Chicago). His bill changes state law to differentiate squatters from tenants and forego the months-long eviction process. It passed unanimously in the Illinois House and received only a single 'no' vote in the state senate. The bill, SB1563, needs Gov. JB Pritzker's signature to become law. WGN Investigates has documented cases in which squatters move into a home and its taken the owner more than a year to go through the court system to regain possession. 'It's stressful, it's a financial burden,' Karen Polk told WGN in 2023 after she said a real estate agent found squatters living in her late-mother's home in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood. 'I got a call from that agent stating the person that went to the house for a showing was greeted at the door by someone inside already.' Real estate attorneys say criminals have been known to break into unoccupied homes and then pose as landlords offering prospective tenants a fake lease. They then take advantage of state law meant to protect true tenants from wrongful evictions. 'Criminals know they can do this. There's really no criminal repercussion and you have live rent free in a home for 12-to-18 months if you're lucky,' attorney Aaron Stanton told WGN Investigates in 2023. The woman living in Karen Polk's mother's home told WGN Investigates she was a victim of a fake landlord scheme but admitted to not paying rent for several months. 'Somebody had like scammed us out of our money and gave us a fake lease and had us move into the house or whatever and stuff like that,' the woman said. Polk said she was finally able to regain control of the house and sell it in November 2024, two years after the ordeal began. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
07-05-2025
- New York Post
Chicago homeowner moves in with alleged squatters who refused to leave property
If you can't beat them, join them. A Chicago homeowner turned unwanted guests into unwanted roommates when he moved in with two suspected squatters who had taken over his house and refused to leave. Marco Velazquez was gearing up to sell his property in the city's South Side neighborhood when he received the troubling news from his realtor regarding the unexpected occupants. 6 Marco Velazquez speaks out after two alleged squatters were found inside his home in the South Side of Chicago. ABC 7 'I couldn't believe it. It was like a nightmare,' Velazquez told ABC Chicago. Alleged squatter Shermaine C. Powell and her boyfriend, Codarro T. Dorsey, took refuge in the house and claimed to be the rightful owners of the property when the realtor confronted them. Powell had been arrested weeks earlier after being accused of squatting in another South Side home. She was charged with burglary, forgery, obstructing identification and criminal residential trespassing. When confronted by Velazquez's realtor and police officers, the sly couple showed off an official-looking mortgage document, claiming they had every right to remain in the house. 6 Shermaine C. Powell and her boyfriend, Codarro T. Dorsey, inside the Chicago home while police talk to them about their alleged squatting. ABC 7 6 The South Side home with boards blocking up the front windows. ABC 7 Officials could not find a copy of the mortgage in their records, but were limited on what they could do because of city laws, the outlet reported. Under current Illinois law, police cannot remove any suspected squatters unless the homeowner goes through the months-long eviction process. New legislation, SB1563, making its way through the statehouse, would allow the immediate removal of alleged squatters if the rightful homeowner can prove the property is theirs. The aptly-nicknamed 'Squatter's Bill' has bipartisan backing in the state Senate and House. 6 Powell had been arrested weeks earlier after being accused of squatting in another South Side home. ABC 7 6 The home sits behind a fence with a lock on the South Side of the city. ABC 7 The news frustrated Velazquez as he feared he couldn't do anything about the intruders. 'The worst thing happened, when police told me they couldn't do anything. It needs to go to a civil court,' the he said. Not wanting a court battle or to get kicked out of his property, Velazquez decided to move in. Armed with air mattresses, the rightful owner, his wife and a few friends spent the night with the couple in another room. 'We stayed in the living room, watching the door. They stayed in one of the bedrooms,' Velazquez said. 'We stayed a whole night with them.' 6 Dorsey speaks with Chicago Police officers after they were called to the home to remove the alleged squatters. ABC 7 Velazquez's stunt did not work and the suspected squatters demanded $8,000 to leave the property. The homeowners and the couple negotiated and agreed that Velazquez would pay them $4,300 in a cash-for-key agreement. 'We didn't want to give them money, but we heard really bad stories about squatters taking over properties for six, eight, 10 months, even a year,' Velazquez said. 'I heard stories before about squatters. I never thought it would happen to me.' Powell said she was 'innocent until proven guilty,' after being accused of being a squatter.
