Both sides of the rotunda signed off on a piece of legislation giving homeowners more power to remove unwanted people living on their properties.
On Tuesday, the Idaho Senate unanimously voted for HB 321 from Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, Rep. Bruce Skaug R-Nampa and Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star. The measure, dubbed the “squatters bill,” is named after efforts in other states to address concerns with people breaking into homes and claiming to own them.
Currently, in Idaho, if a homeowner calls 911 for law enforcement to remove someone from the property, they can’t and would instead have to file a civil lawsuit, which can take months, while the person lives inside the property or damages it. This bill would allow the sheriff to remove someone from the property.
The bill also says someone who willfully presents a false document they say is a valid lease for a property can be charged with a misdemeanor. If someone advertises a residential property for sale or rent that they don’t own, they can be charged with a felony.
BoiseDev covered a situation like this in New Meadows in 2021. Homeowners had a cabin in the area, which they would occasionally list as a vacation rental. It was listed on Craigslist as a long-term rental by a scammer. This created a situation where would-be renters were out money and places to live, thinking the cabin was rented to them, and the property owners had strangers coming to the house trying to move in.
It now awaits action from Governor Brad Little.
