State Rep. Steve Demetriou Interviewed for Legislation Regarding Squatting and Protection for Property Owners

Four GOP state lawmakers want to crack down on squatters, arguing the current eviction process doesn’t provide enough legal protections to property owners.

Two nearly identical bills—House Bills 478 and 480—would allow owners to “immediately” request removal, by law enforcement, of an unauthorized person in a residential place under certain conditions. The bills would also broaden the definition of criminal mischief and create a title fraud charge in Ohio.

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Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.) is sponsoring HB 480 and said the issue is personal. Demetriou was in the process of selling an investment property in Florida when his broker discovered a squatter in the house after his final tenant moved out—which delayed the sale.

“Peeking through the window, it looked like they had made themselves quite at home,” Demetriou said in an interview. “I think they just saw a vacant property, and probably knew that it was getting sold and probably knew that it was potentially an out-of-state owner, and took advantage of that.”

The intention with the bill, he said, is to target people who enter a unit illegally.

“We’re certainly not trying to create avenues for landlords that want to use this as an avenue just to kick out a legitimate tenant that maybe they just don’t like,” Demetriou said.

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From: Donaldson, Sarah. “Ohio House Bills Circumvent Standard Evictions Process for Squatters.” The Statehouse News Bureau, 24 June 2024, https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2024-06-24/ohio-house-bills-circumvent-standard-evictions-process-for-squatters.