Handyman who turned tables on squatters is attempting to alter guidelines to ‘help make squatting illegal’

A California person launched a petition previous 7 days to make squatting federal unlawful after illegal occupants took in excess of his mother’s property in March. 

“A ton of persons have arrived at out expressing ‘why you should not you do a little something optimistic with your focus?” Flash Shelton, who founded the United Handyman Affiliation, explained to Fox Information. “So I started off wanting into the guidelines and recognized that there is no legislation.”

Shelton’s story been given national focus before this yr right after he staked out his mother’s California house to hold out for squatters to depart for the day so he could choose it again. At the time he secured the residence, he put in cameras and instructed the two gals who returned to get their belongings and leave.

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Dozens of persons who are sympathetic or have comparable situations attained out to Shelton. 

“I’ve experienced an outcry and from, you know, messages and opinions and emails of men and women just expressing it’s incorrect and any person requires to do one thing,” he explained. “This is not about me. It is really larger than me and I ought to do one thing to assist the result in with this interest.” 

Shelton mentioned he hopes his petition can get plenty of momentum to make squatting unlawful at the nationwide level. He hopes these types of a legislation would allow for legislation enforcement to take motion.

Whilst trespassing is illegal in each individual state, every has its have rules on how to manage squatters. Most count on civil courts to resolve disputes.

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“​​I figured if I go countrywide, then it truly is likely to be read in the other states as very well,” Shelton mentioned, incorporating that he hopes to perform with men and women in other states to unfold the word on his petition as nicely.

The petition has gathered a lot more than 80 signatures as of Tuesday morning.

“Proper now, squatting alone is not unlawful,” the petition states. “This produces a defend and wish to trespass and established up property”

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“Be sure to indication this petition and enable make squatting an illegal act,” it adds. “This will shift the load of proof onto the squatter and make the crime punishable with restitution an possibility for damages.”

Shelton took various techniques to safe his mother’s house together with owning his mom write a lease and put utilities in his identify. 

“I had keys to the property, and at that issue, I would have entered the household, and if the squatter can choose a property, I can just take a home,” he mentioned through an job interview with Jesse Watters.

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Shelton hoped his actions would assistance him use existing legal guidelines on trespassing to protected the California household.

“If I enter the house, they cannot kick me out just as a lot. But with possessing a lease and keys and utility expenditures at that stage, you know, if they contact the police, the law enforcement would tell them the exact issue,” Shelton explained to Watters. “If I call the law enforcement, I can say, ‘Hey, I have an intruder in my household, and they broke in the back doorway.'”