Dealing with squatters: New challenges for NC vacation home owners

ATLANTIC BEACH, NC (WCTI) — Squatter’s Rights are getting national attention right now, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signing a law to “end the squatter scam.”

Along the North Carolina coast, many vacation homes stand empty during the winter months, so what happens if the owner walks in and finds someone living there? While law enforcement can remove someone if they’re actively trespassing, authorities react a bit differently if the person decides to live there.

“If we can charge them criminally, we will, but if we establish they’ve been there longer, there’s a certain amount of time, like they’ve made a bed or they’ve bought groceries, they’ve done all these things which looks like a residence, we’re gonna have to go back to the eviction part of it.”

If a property owner finds someone living in their home, they’ll have to go through civil court to get an eviction notice- which could take months to get cleared. WCTI reached out to District Attorney Scott Thomas to find out more.

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