Georgia passes Squatter Reform Act, protecting property owners

ATLANTA - The law is now on the side of homeowners in Georgia, not squatters. A recent FOX 5 I-Team case highlighted how bad the problem in the state was when a man selling his home found strangers inside. The police told him there was nothing they could do. He would have to evict them, which is a long and expensive process. 

Late last month, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law the Georgia Squatters Reform Act to protect the homeowner and not people, sometimes whole families, from moving into property, changing the locks, and refusing to leave.

The I-Team had talked before the bill's passage to one of its sponsors, Rep. Devan Seabaugh of Marietta. He explained how the Squatter Reform Act would help by forcing those claiming to be leaseholders to promptly prove it.

"What we’ve done with this bill is it will go to magistrate court, a non-jury trial, to expedite that," the West Cobb Republican said in an interview at the end of March. "If they present a lease, they have three days to present that lease to the court. The court has seven days to make a determination if that’s a good lease or a fake lease."

 

MORE: Six suspected squatters detained in relation to stolen car in South Fulton

Armed federal marshals removed a man from another person’s home last year as FOX 5 cameras were rolling. But not for squatting. The real homeowner was told by local police to take him to court, which is a very lengthy process.  It wasn’t until a federal warrant was executed for child trafficking-related offenses did law enforcement physically remove him.

Under the new law, the removal process is designed to happen more quickly. We will be watching this develop over the next year.