Seven months after the Georgia Squatter Reform Act became the law of the land, some homeowners are still encountering hurdles in getting squatting cases handled criminally.
A homeowner on Janjolin Way in DeKalb County told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Justin Gray that squatters moved into his property while he was mid-renovation. When he called DeKalb County police, the alleged squatters provided documents claiming they were the rightful owners and DeKalb police referred the case to civil court instead of citing anyone criminally.
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State Representative Devan Seabaugh, the bill’s sponsor, says that’s exactly the type of confusion the Squatter Reform Act was designed to prevent.
“It’s a confusing process, but we tried to clarify that,” Seabaugh said. “It’s criminal what these folks are doing. They’re taking somebody’s property illegally.”
The new law came after a series of Channel 2 Action News investigations exposed the loophole squatters were taking advantage of.