In one case a woman's Queens home was taken over by a man and a group of subletting squatters. Police arrested the homeowner when she tried to change the locks in order to keep them out.
New York lawmakers changed the definition of "tenant" Monday to exclude squatters staying on properties without permission after a rash of home takeovers.
The "optics" of a homeowner handcuffed after changing the locks on a squatter in her Queens home worth $1 million pushed New York lawmakers to enact a harsh new law to protect property owners, a real estate attorney told Fox News Digital.
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