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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Red States Are Suddenly Cracking Down on Squatters — Despite No Evidence of a Crisis
State legislatures seem to be obsessed with squatters these days — and the corporate-dominated American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has played a major role in advancing legislation to crack down on them. As homelessness reaches record highs and over 21 million households nationwide spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, state legislators have decided what the problem is. It's not that there are an estimated 1.4 million abandoned residential properties in the U.S., or that private equity landlords have gobbled up over 10 percent of the country's apartments. The problem is the people who take up residence in empty properties or overstay in apartments after being invited in tenants who have left — despite little evidence of an increase in squatting. After five states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia) enacted new laws last year criminalizing squatting and adopting expedited procedures for removing squatters, ALEC adopted a model Stop Squatters Act in July 2024 that seeks to accomplish the same goal. Legislation closely tracking — or in some cases exceeding — ALEC's model was enacted into law in 10 states this year (Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, and Wyoming, with Florida and West Virginia adding to what was already passed last year), and in six of those an ALEC state chair was the author, lead sponsor, or cosponsor of the bill. The new laws create real risks that housing-insecure people will get further caught up in the dragnet of criminalization, with fewer legal protections, advocates say. ALEC-aligned legislators argue that squatting provides a false solution to homelessness as housing costs explode. Just as concerning, they used the anti-squatter push in Texas to unsuccessfully advance a broad-based attack on the rights of tenants, and in Maryland, to successfully push back against Good Cause Eviction reforms. Critics say the legislation is a solution in search of a problem. 'There's no real evidence of any significant squatting crisis despite what the industry claims,' says Eric Dunn, director of litigation at the National Housing Law Project (NHLP). 'One of the industry lobbying groups surveyed their members and found that there were 1,200 cases of squatting in Atlanta -– but you can't see the survey results, just their report on it.' The survey numbers are based on an indeterminate number of years, and there is no indication of a trend as this was the first time the rental industry conducted a survey on the issue. It is also unclear how the survey defined squatting. Either way, the result of the legislation will be to increase dangerous encounters between police and tenants, Dunn argued. 'No matter who you are, if you're a tenant or a squatter, you don't want the police knocking on your door,' he said. 'It's just a recipe for more dangerous encounters between people and police.' ALEC's Model Anti-Squatter Bill The legislative push has been driven by ALEC and the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), an affiliate of the right-wing State Policy Network. Originally founded in 1973 as the Conservative Caucus of State Legislators, ALEC has grown to become one of the leading drafters of state legislation across the U.S., a pay-to-play clearinghouse for corporate interests to advance their agenda — with particular efficacy in red states. The model legislation was released in conjunction with a report by the PLF entitled 'Locking Squatters Out,' which cited a 2023 survey of landlords by the National Rental Home Association that found a post-pandemic jump in 'squatting' cases in Georgia, and an increase in New York since 2020. ALEC's model bill distinguishes between tenants and squatters, but provides no protections for family members of tenants, and provides no opportunity for a court hearing prior to removal. Once a property owner files a complaint, law enforcement is required to issue a 'notice to immediately vacate' and 'put the owner in possession of the real property' if 'preliminary fact-finding' supports the owner's claim. ALEC does not disclose its funders. The pro-landlord California Association of Realtors Mobilization PAC gave the PLF a $150,000 grant in 2023. In the past, the group's biggest funders have been the Charles Koch foundations and the right-wing Searle Freedom Trust, which also donate heavily to ALEC. At a meeting in December 2024, an ALEC official trumpeted the anti-squatter bill as one of the group's top priorities for 2025. And in Arkansas, Indiana, and Montana, staff for the PLF testified in favor of anti-squatting legislation. In Florida, the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity (AFP) lobbied in favor of one of the bills. The following is an overview of legislation aligned with ALEC's model bill that passed in the 2025 session. Arkansas Arkansas passed HB 1049, 'A Bill To Amend Arkansas Law Concerning Criminal Offenses; And To Criminalize Unlawful Squatting,' which was signed into law by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) on March 4, 2025, with no exclusion for family members of former tenants. Sanders said on Facebook that, 'In Arkansas, we protect property owners and now allow law enforcement to kick squatters off their property.' Jeff Rosenzweig, an attorney in Little Rock, testified against the legislation, warning lawmakers that the way it was written will lead to catching 'people that I don't think [the lead sponsor] was trying to catch, but because it's a criminal statute I think we need to fix that … with just dropping the relevant criminal trespass defenses into the bill.' The bill was cosponsored by State Representative David Ray (R-69), who is one of ALEC's Arkansas state chairs. Florida Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis (R), Florida pioneered the anti-squatter push, passing an anti-squatter bill (HB 621) in 2024. This legislation was more expansive than the ALEC model bill in that there is no requirement for a sheriff to perform an investigation prior to evicting the occupant if the owner attests to a list of facts. Florida doubled down this year, passing SB 322, expanding the squatter bill to include commercial real estate property and permit the use of force, and SB 606, authorizing the immediate removal of transients and unwanted guests from hotels, motels, and food service establishments. 'Florida doesn't tolerate squatters; we stand with property owners,' DeSantis said in June. Cynthia Laurent, the housing justice campaigner at the advocacy group Florida Rising, stated that the two pieces of legislation are just another way to further tilt the state's laws in favor of landlords and against tenants. 'What they are doing is amplifying … [a] very few small examples of people who have dealt with the issue of squatting,' Laurent told the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). 'Legislators say, 'This is for property rights, this is for public safety.' But the true public safety solution is to make sure that folks are safe and secure in their housing.' Laurent sees the anti-squatter push as part of a broader effort to crack down on tenants' rights that is increasing homelessness in Florida. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Florida Rising and other pro-tenant organizations had won Tenants' Bills of Rights and Offices of Tenant Advocacy in various Democratic-leaning Florida cities, Laurent explained. But those wins were blocked — 'preempted' — by the Florida state legislature. ALEC has also been deeply involved in promoting preemption legislation. 'There's skyrocketing insurance costs in Florida due to disasters,' which pushes people out of home ownership, Laurent pointed out. The situation for renters is equally bad. 'Since the pandemic there has been an increase in private equity coming into the state purchasing homes to rent them out and make profit that way,' she said. 'It was revealed that landlords were colluding in setting prices artificially high using platforms like RealPage, those renters were then forced into a motel/hotel lease [and] technically … designated as transient.' By expanding the squatter legislation to motels and hotels, Florida Republicans are trying to claw back some of the last housing security there is, as motels and hotels will not sign leases for longer than 30 days, Laurent concluded. Indiana In May, Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R) signed SB 157 into law, which is similar to the ALEC model legislation except that it exempts 'invitees' of former tenants and does not require any fact-finding before removal. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Linda Rogers (R–11), who is an ALEC state chair. Indiana Legal Services warned that the way the bill was written, '[Landlords] file a statement with law enforcement and the police can remove people without a hearing or judicial review.' Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed HB 10 into law in Kentucky in March. Similar to the ALEC model bill, it provides protections only for immediate family members of the owner but not immediate family members of tenants, with the only remedy being for a removed occupant to sue in civil court. Maryland Maryland legislators introduced SB 46, a draconian version of the ALEC model bill, in January. It was cosponsored by State Senator Justin Ready (R–05), one of ALEC's state chairs in Maryland. As introduced, the bill would have required a sheriff to remove anyone from any property based solely on an owner's affidavit that they were 'fraudulently in possession of the property,' with no protections for tenants, former tenants, or their family members. Thanks to pushback from housing groups, the bill was amended to mandate that courts hold a hearing within 10 days if a landlord alleges squatting. However, Zafar Shah, a housing attorney with Maryland Legal Aid, said that this bill still filled an extremely important purpose for the landlord lobby. Advocates had been pushing a broad-based reform to the eviction process, mandating that landlords have legal good cause prior to evicting a tenant. The need to ensure that the squatter bill didn't short-circuit the existing eviction process helped contribute to the good cause legislation stalling. 'The whole legislature, left and right, is really backtracking on the right to housing,' Shah told the Center for Media and Democracy. 'The 'stop squatters' push is a part of that.' Mississippi In April, Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the Real Property Owners Protection Act (HB 1200) into law in Mississippi. The bill contains no exemptions for immediate family members of tenants who remain after a lease has ended. The bill was cosponsored by State Representative Lee Yancey (R–74), another ALEC state chair. Montana Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) signed a bill (SB 101) in April that closely hews to ALEC's model legislation by making squatting a crime and allowing property owners to request that law enforcement officers remove any unauthorized person. Amy Hall, the supervising attorney for housing with Montana Legal Services, was perplexed by the legislation. 'I have not seen any clients who have contacted us because they're being removed as a squatter. Squatting is just not a huge issue in Montana,' Hall said. 'As far as I'm concerned, this whole bill was 100 percent unnecessary.' Jim Manley, PLF's vice president for legal affairs, testified in favor of the bill. North Carolina In July, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein (D) vetoed a squatting bill (HB 96) that is similar to the ALEC model bill but with expanded protections for due process — effectively a substantially expedited eviction process — despite initially supporting the legislation. Stein stated that the only reason he had vetoed it was because it contained a provision that blocked municipalities from regulating puppy mills, an unrelated addition made to the squatter bill once it reached the state Senate. Texas As in Maryland, ALEC legislators in Texas sought to use the squatting issue to weaken tenants' rights. State Senator Bryan Hughes (R–1), an ALEC member, authored a bill (SB 1333) that went beyond the ALEC model by allowing immediate removal of 'unauthorized occupants' (without any opportunity for a hearing) based on an owner's 'verified' petition, and by making squatting a felony if the owner's loss is $2,500 or more. Like the ALEC model, the law provides protections only for immediate family members of the property owner, not the tenant. ALEC's Texas Senate chair, State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R–7), authored a second bill (SB 38) framed as anti-squatter legislation that would have created a streamlined eviction process without a hearing or trial for tenants and squatters alike. 'What the Texas Apartment Association was trying to do was to piggyback on the attention on squatting to pass really radical anti-renter legislation in Texas,' Ben Martin, the research director of the pro-tenant group Texas Housers, told the Center for Media and Democracy. 'One person who gave testimony from a landlord perspective stated that, 'From our point of view, a holdover tenant is a squatter.' What they were seeking was a top-to-bottom rewrite of civil law in Texas to favor landlords at the expense of tenants.' Advocates won an amendment to Bettencourt's bill that limited the expedited removal process to squatting cases only. Both bills were enacted in May and signed by Governor Greg Abbott (R). State Senator Molly Cook (D–15), who opposed both bills, told CMD that, 'As an ER nurse, I've seen how housing insecurity leads to poor public health. There's been a confluence of awful policies that has led to the worst housing inequality we've ever seen. There is a way to make sure that everyone is taken care of. Just slapping 'squatter' on a bill that erodes protections for due process is not the right approach. [In Texas] it is a lot easier to get a criminal penalty passed than to get real policy passed that addresses homelessness.' West Virginia On the heels of criminalizing squatting through HB 4940 last year, the West Virginia legislature enacted HB 2434, a very similar version of ALEC's model bill, in April. Traci Strickland, executive director of Kanawha Valley Collective, which seeks to end homelessness, told CMD that 'it's a bill with no solution. I don't want people squatting in houses either. I want a housing solution for people. Tickets for squatting means you're just going to have people who are racking up tickets and criminal offenses, which then hurts their housing and employment opportunities once we get them on the pathway to housing.' Wyoming Wyoming's legislature passed a law (SF 6) in February that is very similar to ALEC's model bill. It provides for immediate removal of an 'unauthorized person' with no opportunity for a hearing and does not exclude immediate family members of tenants, only offering protections for immediate family members of owners. The bill was introduced by the House Judiciary Committee, which includes one of ALEC's state chairs, State Representative Daniel Singh (R–61). Colleen Scerpella and Arn Pearson contributed research to this article. More from Rolling Stone Trump Declares War on Unhoused D.C. Residents: 'No MR. 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CBC
04-08-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Evacuation orders, alerts issued for over 600 properties on Vancouver Island
Some 393 residential properties are under an evacuation order, and 238 are under an evacuation alert following a fast-moving wildfire on Vancouver Island. As of Monday morning, the wildfire had grown to 494 hectares.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside the Labor Party's bold push to increase taxes on property investors: 'Government now has a mandate to rectify inequity'
Labor Party activists are pushing to scrap the capital gains tax discount on investment properties, despite Anthony Albanese ruling out such changes in Opposition. Former Labor leader Bill Shorten lost the 2016 and 2019 elections with a plan to halve the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount to 25 per cent. Albanese ruled out tinkering with capital gains taxes after taking over as Labor leader and went on to win the 2022 election from Opposition and was resoundingly re-elected in May. But now a grassroots organisation within the Prime Minister's own party – Labor for Housing – wants the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount scrapped entirely, not just diluted. That means someone who made a $100,000 capital gain on their investment property they rented out would be taxed on the entire increase, not just $50,000 of it. Labor for Housing co-convener Julijana Todorovic told Daily Mail Australia the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount introduced in September 1999 needed to be dismantled for residential properties. 'We think it should be removed entirely, so not immediately,' she said/ 'Property should not be an investment for which you can claim the discount.' Ms Todorovic, a land rights lawyer, said the Albanese Government needed to scrap the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount during this term of Parliament without taking the policy to the next election. 'Our view is that the Labor government now has a mandate to rectify inequity in Australian society,' she said. 'While it's clear from the election results that we can't be too radical, we must do something to stem the flow of generational inequity.' She argued the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount should be grandfathered for existing investors as the policy is scrapped for future purchases - a position the Greens took to the May election. 'We are proposing that residential property is removed as a category for which the discount can be claimed,' Ms Todorovic said. 'But we're proposing that this change is grandfathered to a certain date – so if people have structured their finances based on the discount, then they will have time to restructure – they won't be left high and dry.' Labor for Housing argued that scrapping the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount would encourage investors to invest in technology instead of speculating on real estate, and driving up house prices. 'Australia's capital resources have become landlocked by a CGT discount on property,' it said in a submission to the government's August Economic Reform Roundtable. 'As Australia electrifies, transitions to renewables and increases our data capacity, businesses are struggling to find adequate capital. 'By incentivising investment in the productive powers of the market, the government can increase the circular flow of capital in the economy, creating jobs and additional economic activity.' The Greens went to the last election with a plan to scrap the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount for future purchases of investment properties, and grandfather it to one property for those who already owned an investment property. While Labor has a landslide majority in the House of Representatives, it needs the Greens in the Senate to get its legislation passed. The Labor-aligned McKell Institute has called for the federal government to dilute the 50 per cent capital gain tax discount to 35 per cent for existing investment houses with a backyard. This means $65,000 of a $100,000 capital gain would be taxed, up from $50,000 now. But it has also called for the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount to be increased to 70 per cent for newly-built apartments, arguing this kind of policy would boost housing supply and encourage more off-the-plan unit developments. That means only $30,000 of a $100,000 capital gain would be taxed. The McKell Institute's Harnessing Aspiration report argued the existing 50 per cent capital gains tax discount encouraged investor speculators to buy up houses. 'There is a unique incentive for investors to speculate on existing detached houses rather than non-existing off the plan attached dwellings or established attached dwellings,' he said. 'The blanket tax treatment of each of these asset types means an investor is much more attracted to high-growth existing detached dwellings than moderate-growth attached dwellings, especially new builds.' The average, full-time worker earning $102,742 a year is priced out of buying the median-priced house in every state and territory capital city except Darwin. Ms Todorovic said Labor for Housing's call to scrap the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount wasn't about stopping property speculators. 'It won't – this isn't the tool to correct speculation, this is about removing incentives which preference land above other more productive investments,' she said.
Arabian Business
09-07-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Dubai South Properties sells out Hayat community phases for $327mn within hours
Dubai South Properties has sold out the first two phases of its Hayat by Dubai South community within hours of launch, generating sales that exceeded AED 1.2 billion. The developer said the milestone demonstrates its strategy of launching projects that respond to demand for residential properties in the area from investors and end users. Hayat by Dubai South will contain approximately 2,500 residential units. The development will include townhouses, semi-detached villas, standalone villas, mansions, apartments, and hotel apartments. Units will range from one to five bedrooms. The community will provide amenities including parks, walking trails, play areas, fitness centres, wellness centres, community pools, gardens, and a retail boulevard. The boulevard will house shops, cafés, and convenience stores within walking distance of residents. Nabil Al Kindi, CEO of Dubai South Properties, said: 'The strong demand we continue to witness is a clear reflection of the trust people place in Dubai South as a preferred area to live, invest, and build their future. This success encourage us to keep delivering quality developments that meet the needs and expectations of our growing customer base.' The company will launch additional phases of the project soon.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Billionaire Charoen's Frasers Property, Partners Offer Top Bid Of $387 Million For Prime Singapore Plot
Singapore's residential properties are among the most expensive in the world. A consortium that includes Frasers Property—controlled by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and his family—submitted the highest bid of S$491.5 million ($387 million) for a residential plot in Singapore's upscale Bukit Timah neighborhood. Frasers Property and its partners Japan's Sekisui House and CSC Land, a unit of Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corp, outbid eight other groups for the hotly contested plot on the site of the former Singapore Turf City horse racing track until 1999 when it moved to the western Singapore town of Kranji. The government is closing the Kranji race track for good in 2027 and developing a housing estate on the property. Other bidders for the 99-year leasehold site on Dunearn Road include City Developments, controlled by real estate tycoon Kwek Leng Beng and his family, as well as billionaire Wee family's UOL Group, which partnered with unit Singapore Land and privately owned Kheng Leong Co. About 380 residential condominium units can be built on the 13,492 square meter site, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The site is located within a coveted residential enclave near the Sixth Avenue MRT station, Leonard Tay, head of research at property consultancy Knight Frank in Singapore, said in an emailed statement. 'With limited new launches in the area in recent months, pent-up domestic demand particularly from owner-occupiers familiar with Bukit Timah's character and education belt is expected to support interest at [the project's]The project may sell for as much as S$3,200 per square foot, above the effective top bid of S$1,410 per square foot per plot ratio, Tay added. Frasers Property has been stepping up residential developments to tap into resilient demand for luxury homes in the city-state. Last November, it partnered with Sekisui House to redevelop a serviced apartment along the Singapore River near the Raffles Place central business district into a mixed use residential and retail complex. Charoen, 81, is Thailand's third-richest person with a net worth of $10.6 billion based on real-time Forbes data. The self-made billionaire took control of Frasers Property—which owns residential, offices, shopping malls, logistics properties and hotels across Australia, China, Europe and Southeast Asia—following his takeover of Fraser & Neave in 2013. Charoen also owns Chang beer maker Thai Beverages and Bangkok-based developer Asset World Corp.
