Legislation Giving Oregon Property Owners the Right to Evict Squatters Takes a Step Closer to Implementation

The Oregon House of Representatives yesterday (Thursday) unanimously passed a bill giving property owners the legal right to evict squatters after serving them a 24-hour eviction notice.

House Bill 3522 will arm property owners and landlords with a quick and legal solution to reclaim buildings illegally occupied by unauthorized individuals.

Eviction notices must stipulate a date and time by which the illegal occupants must vacate the premises and give squatting as the reason for eviction. Squatters who refuse to vacate the premises by the given date and time will be served with a 24-hour eviction notice.

Law Enforcement Officers Will be Able to Remove Squatters from Illegally Occupied Premises

The bill gives law enforcement officers the legal right to remove squatters from premises for ‘unlawful occupancy,’ subject to a court-served eviction order.

A squatter is an individual who occupies premises without tenant authorization or a valid rental agreement, and the bill adds squatters to situations considered ‘unlawful holding by force’ under eviction law.

This arms property owners and landlords with a speedy and legal mechanism to reclaim their property from unauthorized occupants.

Squatters threaten property ownership because existing law allows individuals to acquire property through ‘adverse possession’ which allows ownership if a property is ‘openly, continuously, and exclusively’ occupied for 10 years without the owner’s permission. Claims for adverse possession can lead to lengthy legal battles.

Previously, HB 3522 specified that only property owners could issue a notice of eviction. An amendment also allows landlords to issue 24-hour eviction notices to squatters.

Holdover tenants, people who occupy premises after the expiry of a lease, are no longer regarded as squatters under the bill.

Democratic Rep. Annessa Hartman, said she was inspired to become the chief sponsor of the after she was told a frightening story about squatters taking occupation of a house that was sold on auction.

When the new owner confronted the occupants and asked them to leave the premises, they refused and began displaying Nazi flags outside the property.

HB 3522 will move to the Oregon Senate for further comment and discussion.