LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan property owners could have a more expedient process of removing squatters under newly introduced legislation.

What’s in the legislation?

State Representative Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) is seeking to change the current law, in which police can remove people from trespassing on someone’s private property, but those squatting can provide an obstacle to removal if they claim to have a legal reason to be there.

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“Michigan residents should not have to undergo lengthy legal battles to regain control of property they legally own and pay taxes on,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “If someone enters a property illegally, they are a criminal. It shouldn’t matter whether someone trespasses for twenty minutes or three months. Trespassing is a crime, and it should be as simple as that.”

House Bill 5634, according to the office of Rep. Borton would provide property owners with a faster process for removing squatters illegally occupying their property, namely by allowing them to “file a complaint with their county sheriff and request the removal of the unlawful occupant.”

“To file a complaint, property owners must verify that they have told the illegal occupants to leave their property,” according to Borton’s Office. “Property owners also must acknowledge that the occupants are not current or former tenants and that any documentation produced by the squatters is fraudulent. Once the complaint is submitted and verified, the sheriff must immediately order all inhabitants to vacate the property. The sheriff may arrest the squatters for trespassing if they refuse to leave.”

Squatters taking a seat nationwide.

Rep. Borton shared that there has been an increase in the number of reports of squatters around the country, including Michigan.

“I refuse to sit by and wait until squatting becomes a larger issue here,” Rep. Borton said in a statement. “We must give people the means to protect themselves and their property from illegal trespassers. We can’t wait until our offices are flooded with calls from people asking what they should do about the people who began illegally living in their homes during their vacation in Florida.”

Where is this happening in Michigan?

Rep. Borton also referenced that a study from 2018 documented more than 4,000 of squatters occupying Detroit Properties owned by the city’s Land Bank Authority.

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“People shouldn’t have to deal with this alone,” Borton said. “If you discover someone illegally occupying your property, the police should be equipped to assist you. When we force residents to handle these issues, we put them into potentially dangerous situations with people who have already committed crimes. If someone is desperate enough to illegally live in a home they do not own, there should be no expectation they won’t do whatever it takes to stay there. Families returning from Disneyworld shouldn’t have to deal with unpredictable criminals; that’s a job for police.”