(IntegrityPress.org) – A man living as a migrant in the US has gained notoriety after publishing a Tik Tok video in which he tells the viewers that they can simply take over empty houses they find in the US thanks to progressive laws that give rights to squatters.
The man claims to be friends with African immigrants who have used such laws to take houses away from their owners. In the minute-and-a-half long clip, Leonel Moreno appears to encourage others to take over houses they find that are “abandoned” and in poor condition. He says that by doing so, they can stay off the street, make improvements to the houses, and even sell them.
Moreno, a Venezuelan immigrant who reportedly resides in Columbus, Ohio with his partner and infant daughter, has approximately half a million followers on Tik Tok, although this particular clip has been watched over 3.9 million times after being spread across other social media and news outlets. The video has garnered many angry responses from viewers decrying the adverse possession laws, also known as squatters’ rights, he seems keen for others to exploit. Every state in America has some form of such laws, and trespassers enjoy a varying degree of legal protection across the country.
A squatting case in New York City has recently made headlines when police arrested a homeowner for changing the locks on her own property that she inherited from her late parents. Adele Andaloro, 47, was taken into custody after a stand-off with squatters she alleges trespassed on her $1 million property in Flushing, Queens. She had previously put the house on the market, at which point she realized people had broken in and were living there without her permission.
When she had a locksmith come to change the locks, she asked the people in the house to leave. Instead, they called the police who came and warned Andaloro that she would be arrested should she change the locks, despite having the deed to the house. Andaloro continued and was arrested. In New York City, the law dictates that squatters need only to inhabit a house for 30 days in order to claim ownership. Andaloro has since started filing for an eviction via landlord-tenant court, although the process can take many months.
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