A squatter is a person who settles in or occupies a piece of property with no legal claim to the property. A squatter lives on a property to which they have no title, right, or lease. A squatter may gain adverse possession of the property through involuntary transfer. A property owner who does not use or inspect their property for a number of years could lose the title to another person who makes a claim to the land, takes possession of the land, and uses the land.
A squatter lives on a property to which they have no title, right, or lease.
A property owner who does not use or inspect their property for a number of years could lose the title to another person who makes a claim to the land, takes possession of the land, and uses the land.
State laws regarding squatters and adverse possession can be superseded by local laws in some cases; for example, in New York City, if a squatter continuously occupies a property for 30 days, they gain the legal right to remain on the property as a tenant of the owner even though they never signed a lease agreement.
Example of a Squatter
Suppose a woman named Felicia bought a two-bedroom investment property in 2010 in Brooklyn, New York. In 2015, she stopped renting the apartment and it sat empty for several months. Facing foreclosure, Felicia decided to put the apartment on the market. Unfortunately, she discovered that a taxi driver had been living in the apartment for months.