A property owner attempting to evict a group of individuals squatting in her home in New York was arrested by police shortly after she changed the locks.
The commotion was caught on camera by ABC 7 Eyewitness News during a routine interview about the many squatter challenges landlords in the area have faced.
Adele Andaloro, the property owner, said the ordeal began on February 6 when the uninvited guests moved into the home she inherited from her parents and refused to leave.
In the footage, an unidentified woman can be seen walking up to Andaloro’s house, unlocking the door, and then leaving when she sees news cameras. Andaloro then takes the opportunity to enter her unlocked property, holding the deed. Once inside, two men are discovered in the residence. One claims to have moved in just two days prior, while the other refuses to answer any questions.
The men then call the police on Andaloro. However, they are escorted off the property by the responding officers after failing to prove they have lived in the home for at least 30 days. Andaloro then has a locksmith whom she had on standby change the locks on the house. Snippets of these events can be seen in the video.
Less than 10 minutes after law enforcement departs and the locks are changed, the man who previously claimed to be leasing the house arrives with one of the individuals whom the police had removed from the property earlier. They can be seen on the footage forcing their way into the home.
The police arrive once again; however, this time, it is the homeowner, Andaloro, who is removed from the property. According to the police, since the matter is a landlord-tenant issue, it must be settled in court. And since changing the locks is considered an unlawful form of eviction, she was arrested and put in handcuffs.
Squatters’ rights can take on various forms depending on the state. Even in Texas, a trespasser can eventually claim legal possession of your property if certain conditions are met. For example, in some instances, individuals can successfully claim squatter’s rights, also known as adverse possession, by proving they have been paying property taxes and cultivating the land for at least five years.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported two instances of trespassers occupying homes in Texas. In one case, a Houston homeowner found that her locks had been changed by trespassers who claimed to be leasing her property. In another incident in Tomball, not far from Houston, a group of individuals squatted alongside the elderly homeowner, abusing him while living under his roof unlawfully.
In both cases, law enforcement successfully ejected the trespassers.
