The legislature is trying to make it harder for squatters to find a home in Mississippi after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill that will make it easier to prosecute squatters as well as phony realtors.
State Representatives Shanda Yates, Brent Powell, Clay Mansell, Lance Varner, Gene Newman, Lee Yancey, Fred Shanks, Hank Zuber, Noah Sanford, Jill Ford, Kevin Felsher, and Price Wallace sponsored HB #1200.
The bill strengthens the ability of law enforcement to prosecute and remove squatters from properties. Squatters have become a problem nationwide as they take advantage of weak laws that allow them to use the court system to their advantage. Several states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, New York, and Louisiana have passed laws recently cracking down on squatters. Indeed, a Louisiana bill making squatting punishable with jail time passed the legislature without a single opposing vote.
The highlights of HB #1200 are:
* Squatter is defined as someone who remains on a property for a period of time or after "a rental agreement has ended." The bill makes it harder for squatters to use the court system to their advantage as in other states as HB #1200 states the squatter will not have the same rights or "eviction process" as a tenant.
* Only the owner of the property has the right to manage or receive payments for use of the property. This clause is important for prosecuting sham realtors.
* Enforcement. The owner of the property or agent must file an affidavit with a law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the area. The law enforcement agency includes the Sheriff's office. Thus if a Mayor (can't imagine who) doesn't want his police to arrest squatters, the owner can go to the Sheriff for help.
The law enforcement agency must issue a citation to the squatter within 24 hours after the affidavit is filed. The citation orders the squatter to immediately leave the premises. The squatter has three days to challenge the citation in court or leave. No writ of removal is required. If the squatter does not challenge the eviction and does not leave, law enforcement can remove him from the premises.
The owner is not liable for any damage to the squatter's personal property.
If the squatter challenges eviction in court and loses, the squatter must leave the premises within 24 hours. The court must hold a hearing within seven days after receiving notice the squatter is challenging eviction.
The squatter can be removed in less than 24 hours if he "poses an immediate risk of damage to the premises."
The Court can levy civil and criminal penalties against the squatter.
* Phony Realtors. The problem of phony realtors seems to be proliferating in Jackson. The scam artist typically finds a vacant property with an owner who lives out of town. He somehow gains access to the house, posts it online as a rental, and charges rent even though he is not authorized by the owner to do so (A house on Old Canton Road is a specific example of such a problem. Just ride past Ridgewood, can't miss it.).
Section 6 of the bill says such conmen can be charged with a felony and sets minimum prison sentence of two years. He can be fined the amount of rent the owner lost from the "realtor" collecting rent.
* Phony Ads. The bill punishes those who list properties for sale or rent even though they have no right to do so by charging them with a felony.
The bill passed the House on a vote of 99-14.
Kingfish note: Unfortunately, several members of the Jackson/Hinds delegation voted against the bill: Bo Brown, Grace Butler-Washington, and Robert Johnson. Fortunately, Justis Gibbs and Ronnie Crudup, Jr. supported the bill.
13 comments:
Phony realtors scam. That just blows my mind.
What is the reasoning NOT to support this bill??
The problem with squatters in some states, California for example, does not remotely involve renters whose leases have expired. It involves people who notice a vacant house and simply move in and take possession and take dumps and light fires inside the premises.
Why does this bill not address that, which is the true meaning of 'Squatter'?
Shame we even need to have a bill like this. In the days of old a boot up the ass usually worked.
Before reading this I didn't know squat about this.
Probably the tattered race card.
I hope the house on Old Canton becomes the poster child and the first house used. It is horrible. Also next step is property owners of residential areas cannot live in Belgium (or other countries).
He is working on an eviction, going through the process. Was sick for awhile.
@5:29 That is BS. I own several properties and businesses in the Metro and I live in Southeast Asia. You can’t force me to live in the boomer-created-hell that is the USA in 2025. Passport bros, digital nomads, and cryptochads can do whatever we want.
What they need to outlaw is the practice of people "contracting" to buy a house, with no closing date in the agreement, who then market to sell the house for $10-15,000 without having closed on their purchase agreement. This has been outlawed in a handful of states. It's very common in the Jackson area.
"@5:29 That is BS. I own several properties and businesses in the Metro and I live in Southeast Asia. You can’t force me to live in the boomer-created-hell that is the USA in 2025. Passport bros, digital nomads, and cryptochads can do whatever we want."
Come up to Thomastown & TRY to "Do Whatever We Want"...Zoomer...
February 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
6:26 PM The same is going on with rural land flipping. A lot of the people buying hunting land are buying from land flippers who are making 50% to 200% profit.
3:36, it does cover squatters, and also “after a rental agreement has ended"
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