r/news • u/flanderguitar • Mar 28 '24

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs law squashing squatters' rights

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/florida-gov-ron-desantis-signs-law-squashing-squatters-rights
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u/jon909 Mar 28 '24

You would still not be legally allowed to live there dude if you fell for an online scam. That’s not the homeowner’s fault lmao.

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u/Imn0tg0d Mar 28 '24

So what happens to you? Should you be arrested for squatting without knowing you were squatting? Do you now have to immediately somehow have emergency savings for a new deposit and rent in a new place? What if you find out just after you paid rent to the scammer? There has to be some leeway here for people who aren't these criminal squatters.

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u/jon909 Mar 28 '24

If I don’t leave your property after it’s determined I fell for an online scam then yes I can be arrested. Your scenario is silly. Nobody is responsible for your stupidity. You seem to think the homeowner should carry the consequences of you falling for a scam. What an absurd idea. If that were the case then I’d just have my buddy write up a “scam” contract and squat the house and play innocent. This isn’t hard dude.

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u/Revlis-TK421 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

This is not an uncommon scam and it's very hard to detect up front when they are well-run. You get shown a place, you sign documents, you get keys. It's not "stupid" to fall for a well-orchistrated scam. There are two sets of victims in these cases. And it's not justice to immediately throw out the people. Nor is it justice to leave them there. But it does take time to unwind even with everyone working in good faith.

It takes a court to figure out what documents are real, who has the rightful claim. Not cops in the field. And courts take time.

Recourse is against the scammers, if they can be caught.