A squatter is someone who occupies a property without authorization or a valid rental agreement.
Oregon Bill Lets Landlords Evict Squatters with 24-Hour Notice
The Oregon House has unanimously passed a bill to allow property owners and landlords to evict squatters after giving a 24-hour notice, according to katu.com news.
The bill explicitly adds squatters to the list of situations considered “unlawful holding by force” under eviction law. This would give property owners and landlords a clearer and faster legal mechanism to reclaim their property from unauthorized occupants.
A squatter is an individual who occupies a property without a valid rental agreement or tenant authorization. The bill amends current law to incorporate this new eviction process. The bill allows a landlord or property owner to issue a 24-hour written notice to vacate the property to evict a squatter. The notice must state the date and time the squatter must leave and clearly indicate that the reason for eviction is the person’s squatter status.
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Holdover tenants, those who remain in a space after a lease expires, are not included as squatters under this bill.
The bill to change the law came because currently, Oregon law permits a person to acquire ownership of a property through adverse possession. Adverse possession allows a person to gain ownership if they occupy the property openly, continuously, and exclusively for a period of 10 years without the owner’s permission. The claim of adverse possession can lead to lengthy legal battles.
The original bill specified that only the property owner could issue a notice of eviction. The amended bill allows landlords to also issue 24-hour eviction notices to squatters.
The bi-partisan bill will now move to the Oregon Senate for consideration.
Source: Rental Housing Journal
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