New York homeowner arrested for trying to evict squatter from her home

The New York Police Department took a Queens homeowner into custody after she attempted to change the locks on her home. According to National Review, a squatter has settled in her home, who knows his rights well and takes advantage of it.

A squatter is any person who illegally occupies a non-residential building without the owner's permission. Such cases in New York Not unusual. These people take advantage of a city law that says they can claim tenant rights after living on the property for 30 days. This occupier's rights law is much more generous than New York State's law, which requires squatters to live in a home for ten years before receiving such rights.

Under New York law, landlords cannot change locks, turn off utilities, or remove personal items belonging to residents. This law was created in order to fill the empty and abandoned buildings of the city with people who were previously idle on the streets. However, squatters took advantage of this.

Home theft or legal pastime

Adele Andaloro is trying to sell her house, which she inherited after the death of her parents. She says she first noticed the problem in February. Someone changed the front door and lock.

“I’m very afraid that these people will get away with stealing my home,” the homeowner admitted.

To evict an illegal occupant, the property owner must serve an eviction notice within ten days and then file a complaint in court if the notice is ignored. Once the judge approves the complaint, the owner can receive a summons and evict the squatter. This process, according to Andaloro, is tedious and takes too much time. “It will be more than 30 days before anyone investigates and this person will still be in my house,” she noted.

When Andaloro entered the house, two men were there. She asked them to leave, but they said they were renting a house and called the police. When law enforcement officers arrived, the squatters did not provide the necessary documentation and were taken out of the house. The woman called a locksmith and changed the lock despite warnings that it was illegal.

On the subject: 13 Strange Rules That Are Illegal in New York

Later, another man who claimed to be renting the house forced his way inside and got into a heated argument with Andaloro. He also called the police. He did not provide documents for the house; instead, he showed invoices for the work he had done around the house. He said that he moved into this house several months ago and signed documents with a realtor, but did not say with whom exactly.

The police showed up a second time and told Andaloro, “You can’t kick him out, you’ll have to go to court.”

Police officials called the standoff a landlord-tenant problem that should be resolved in housing court rather than through the police. Andaloro said she would seek eviction through the courts.

Homeowner's Arrest

Because Andaloro changed the locks, she was arrested for illegal eviction.

“Let him sue me, as I was advised to do, because I will not leave my house,” she said.

Brian Rodriguez, who has taken over the home and appears to be the legal tenant, said this is the only way to resolve the dispute.

“You should go and complain to the court about me,” said the squatter. “Or pay me money and I’ll leave.” Or send me to court.”

However, this will take a lot of time. According to the Rent Stabilization Association, eviction cases filed in New York City take an average of 20 months to resolve.