There is little evidence of legislative action in many cities. However, Democrats in Congress have moved to pass a federal housing law − to bar landlords from learning whether potential tenants have criminal records, which would include past squatter offenses.
The common nuisance of squatting reflects a breakdown in basic deterrence of our laws. Property offenses have been steadily downgraded as priorities in many cities, while prosecutions are viewed as politically risky for officials who do not want to be viewed as targeting people who are homeless.
I feel like if the landlord is a corporation, they shouldn’t be able to discriminate. But if the landlord owns less that five properties, they should be able to be more selective as the risk is much higher.
To my mind, if you want to lower risk, just make eviction quick and easy. Renting a house is risky precisely because tenants can pull an Elon Musk: refuse to pay the bill and then keep occupying the space.
Yeah, it’s tricky for sure. I have a starter home that I rent out and I’m worried we’ll get a squatter.
