Staten Island “Squatter Squad” takes action to protect property owners

STATEN ISLAND, NY — As concerns grow about squatters on Staten Island homeowners’ properties, two determined politicians are fighting to protect local communities.

“We are the squatters’ force,” said City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) of her and State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn). “Squatting is becoming a growing problem in many of our communities, causing significant damage to buildings and disturbing the peace of neighborhoods.”

On Friday, Hanks and Scarcella-Spanton stood outside 108 Tysen Street in New Brighton and touted their efforts to combat squatting across the city and state. Both politicians have proposed legislation to make the process of evicting homes more efficient and to allow squatters to face criminal charges for their actions.

“It was only last year that the DA was able to get these people out of the house behind me, but it took longer, so we’re happy that he can now charge them with burglary if this problem continues,” Scarcella-Spanton said. According to Scarella-Spanton, her bill will allow Staten Island DA Mike McMahon to charge squatters with burglary since they are no longer considered tenants under the revised laws.

Scarcella-Spanton’s bill was recently included in the state budget for fiscal year 2025. This part of the budget agreement clarifies that squatters are not considered protected tenants and defines them as people who are on a property without the consent of the owner or an agent of the owner.

“I am proud that several of my bills were included in the state budget to combat the squatter problem that continually plagues this community,” Scarcella-Spanton continued. “Our constituents’ homes should never have been up for grabs due to the technicalities of the law.”

The concept of adverse possession allows people who own a property for a period of time to acquire rights to it. Hanks and Scarcella-Spanton agree that this law is severely outdated.

“We need to start taking back our neighborhoods from the people who break the law. It’s absurd to think that someone can take possession of your property without having common sense laws in place to protect you,” Hanks said.

The issue of squatting and squatters’ rights has been a particularly important topic in recent months. Changes to the current state budget were announced at the beginning of May and four squatters from Staten Island were arrested after illegally occupying a house in Westerleigh.

In addition to Scarcella-Spanton’s statewide efforts, Hanks introduced a city-level bill last month that would create a task force to handle squatting matters in a more structured and time-efficient manner than before.

This task force would be comprised of representatives from various agencies, including the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Buildings, and NYPD police officers.

“Currently, the process of evicting squatters involves assembling a multi-agency task force that works on a case-by-case basis. This takes valuable time and resources,” Hanks said. “People have to spend time and money to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. By creating this special team, this bill is designed to expedite the identification and eviction of squatters and prevent properties from being illegally reoccupied.”

While this issue is far from simple, both the Senator and Congresswoman assure that progress is being made in the right direction. They encourage anyone struggling with squatters on their property to contact one of their offices. Since this is a newer initiative, Scarella-Spanton explained that the rest of the city may need some time to adjust.

“I think some of these catching-up agencies and housing courts need to be better educated on how to handle these situations,” Scarella-Spanton said.

Hanks recommends that property owners carefully document their properties to ensure that no suspicious or unusual occurrences occur in their absence.

“Staten Island’s elected officials are tackling the really tough issues that the rest of the state and the city aren’t taking on,” Hanks said. “We need to restore safety, we need to restore people’s trust in city authorities and we can’t allow everyone, especially law-abiding citizens, to be taken advantage of like they have been for decades.”