(NewsNation) — Imagine traveling out of town only to receive a phone call that someone has squatted in your home, sold your personal belongings and turned your house into a “drug den.”
This was reality for squatter victim Terri Boyette, who says police told her the person living in her home was technically allowed to stay.
Squatting is when someone starts living illegally in a vacant property. Squatters can leave a mess and scare those living nearby.
Boyette left Texas to care of her sick mother in Florida, and while she was away, her neighbor called and said that someone was living in her house.
Boyette contacted police immediately. And because the squatter had potentially been living in the home for more than 10 days, her only option was to evict them.
The process took eight months, and when she finally got her house back, it was destroyed.
“I hired them to do some painting and renovating. I was gonna be gone for about three weeks, so I told them to stop work. Apparently one of them broke in and decided to rent it out to other people using drugs,” Boyette said during an appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “They stole all of my items, from the dining table to the entertainment center.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a new law into effect, eliminating squatters’ rights in the state. The law increases penalties for squatting and also makes it easier and quicker for property owners to have squatters evicted from their homes.
DeSantis said “homes are being invaded” in other states and accused the law of siding with squatters. DeSantis referred to squatting as a fad and said the goal was to have “the thumb of the law” on the scales on the side of property owners.
Now, homeowners in other states are hoping Florida’s bill will serve as the blueprint for similar legislation across the country.
Squatting has been in the spotlight recently as many homeowners report incidents of discovering people living on their properties without their knowledge or consent.
Boyette said that during the eviction process, she had to provide identification to prove the house was hers.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever been through. It’s insanity,” Boyette said.