Squatters Hurt Tenants the Most.

When people hear about "squatters' rights" in Los Angeles, they usually think it’s a legal battle between a property owner and someone looking for a place to stay. 

But there is a silent group of victims in this crisis that the media completely ignores: the paying tenants living right next door.

Professional squatters aren't just looking for housing—they are exploiting a broken legal system. 

And when they force their way into a vacant apartment, they bring the neighborhood down with them. 

Under current California law, once a trespasser manages to stay in a unit and claims they have an "oral lease," local police can't just remove them. It becomes a civil matter. 

In LA County's severely backlogged courts, an unlawful detainer lawsuit to remove a squatter can drag on for six to nine months.

Think about what that means for the family next door. For nearly a year, an entire building is subjected to unvetted, unauthorized occupants. 

Property managers are legally restricted from entering the unit, while neighbors are left dealing with the fallout: late-night parties, broken security gates, drugs, and major safety hazards that compromise the entire building.

It gets worse. The tens of thousands of dollars spent on legal fees and repairing a trashed unit don't come out of thin air. 

That capital is stripped directly away from the building’s operating budget—money that should have gone toward routine maintenance, roof repairs, and building upgrades for the community’s legitimate residents.

Every day a professional squatter abuses the legal system is a day an honest, hard-working tenant is kept from moving into an affordable home. 

Supporting common-sense regulations to expedite the removal of trespassers isn't just about protecting housing providers. It's about protecting our communities.