If\u00a0 you are a homeowner, you have a deed which says you own your home. If you are a renter, you have a least that lists the conditions of your rental agreement. These are legal documents designed to protect people who are paying for a place to live. Unfortunately, not all states are protecting private property rights.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, The New York Post<\/a> posted an article about a recent incident between a homeowner and a squatter living in that home.<\/p>\n The article reports:<\/p>\n A New York City property owner recently ended up in handcuffs following a fiery standoff with a\u00a0bunch of squatters<\/a>\u00a0she has been trying to boot from her family\u2019s home, tense footage of the ordeal shows.<\/strong><\/p>\n Adele Andaloro, 47, was recently nabbed after she changed the locks on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she says she inherited from her parents when they died,\u00a0ABC\u2019s Eyewitness News reported<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s enraging,\u201d the homeowner said of the squatter saga. \u201cIt\u2019s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Andaloro claims the ordeal erupted when she started the process of trying to sell the home last month but realized squatters had moved in \u2014 and brazenly replaced the entire front door and locks.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fed up, she recently went to her family\u2019s home on 160th Street \u2014 with the local TV outlet in tow \u2014 and called a locksmith to change the locks for her.<\/strong><\/p>\n A heated, caught-on-camera spat with the alleged squatters quickly unfolded and ended with some of the so-called tenants \u2014 and Andaloro \u2014 being led away in cuffs.<\/strong><\/p>\n In New York City, a\u00a0person can claim \u201csquatter\u2019s rights\u201d\u00a0<\/a>after just 30 days of living at a property.<\/strong><\/p>\n Under the law, it is illegal for the homeowner to change the locks, turn off the utilities, or remove the belongings of the \u201ctenants\u201d from the property.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBy the time someone does their investigation, their work, and their job, it will be over 30 days and this man will still be in my home,\u201d Andaloro said.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really fearful that these people are going to get away with stealing my home,\u201d she added.<\/strong><\/p>\n During the recent encounter at her home, Andaloro \u2014 who was armed with the deeds \u2014 was filmed entering the property after one of the apparent tenants left the front door open.<\/strong><\/p>\n The article concludes:<\/p>\n The ordeal is just the latest involving squatters in the Big Apple in recent weeks after a couple\u2019s plan to\u00a0move into a $2 million home in Douglaston, Queens<\/a>, with their disabled son was\u00a0derailed by a squatter\u00a0<\/a>who claimed to have an agreement with the previous owner.<\/strong><\/p>\n Separately, a squatter was also found to have\u00a0turned a Rockaways home<\/a>\u00a0into a stomach-turning house of horrors by keeping more than a dozen\u00a0emaciated cats and dogs trapped inside<\/a>\u00a0the property.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whatever happened to the rule of law?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If\u00a0 you are a homeowner, you have a deed which says you own your home. If you are a renter, you have a least that lists the conditions of your rental agreement. These are legal documents designed to protect people … Continue reading