Homeless Woman Moved Into A Family’s Treehouse Without Permission, But Cops Say She Has ‘Every Right’ To Be There — ‘She Gets Her Mail Delivered’
Is this really what squatter’s rights have come to?
Fsolipa / Shutterstock A mom took to TikTok in disbelief that a homeless woman took up residence in her family’s treehouse.
But when she reported the issue to the cops, their hands were tied, and they claimed she had a right to be there.
The mom said the homeless woman moved into their treehouse without permission and even had mail delivered there.
The mom, who goes by @psychologyeatson TikTok, shared a few videos on her TikTok reporting the bizarre chain of events.
The first video showed the woman relaxing in the treehouse as the mom expressed her impatience with the trespasser. After asking her to leave, she said the woman refused and claimed she had food cooking in the treehouse’s play kitchen set.
The family appears to live in New Jersey, but squatters can only legally claim ownership of a property if they have stayed there for at least 30 years.
If you find someone squatting on your property, you can report it as criminal trespassing to the police, at which point they’ll require the squatter to leave immediately or be arrested for trespassing. Squatters may claim they have a right to be there, but as long as you can prove they are trespassing on your property, police will require them to leave.
However, the mom claimed this homeless woman had only been staying in the treehouse for a couple of days and was somehow already getting her mail delivered there. Surely, she did not have a right to be there. The treehouse in her yard was undoubtedly her family’s property, meaning police should have escorted the squatter off their property.
When the mom reported the situation to the police, they told her to simply issue the squatter a 30-day notice to vacate the property.
Despite the fact that the homeless woman had only apparently claimed the treehouse for a few days, police expressed helplessness to the situation.
But with any trespassing situation in New Jersey, even if the police do require a squatter to leave someone’s property, if that squatter returns, the only option is to issue them a 30-day eviction notice.
The mom did not specify if police initially required the squatter to leave, but she claimed that their state law allows the squatter the right to an eviction.
In fact, according to DoorLoop, there are no specific laws in New Jersey that can have squatters removed from others’ properties, and individuals must instead resort to the legal eviction process to get rid of them.
As many TikTok users pointed out, this system is clearly flawed and can put many families at risk. "So the safety of your kids goes out the window, huh!” someone expressed.
TikTokers speculated that the mom’s videos may be a skit because of how unserious the story seems.
While the mom has been updating the story, her videos seem too humorous to be legitimate. Many believed her videos were likely a joke, and it wouldn’t be the first time a content creator fabricated an experience for more media attention.
“It’s gotta be a skit because I would put the water on every day until she leaves,” one person wrote in the comments. “Is this a skit? I wouldn’t be recording ish!!!! I would be dragging her to the curbside,” another person expressed.
Meanwhile, others offered their advice, informing the mom to return the squatter’s mail and report it as mail fraud or to forward her mail to an abandoned lot.
Other TikTokers expressed how they would simply disassemble the treehouse and chop the tree down. This is an unfair solution, but it would certainly prompt the squatter to go elsewhere.
As one individual pointed out, the reason not much can be done to remove the homeless woman from their property is likely because she is technically staying in a tree and not in their actual residence.
Regardless, seeing as the tree is located in their yard, it seems ridiculous that the woman actually has the right to stay there.
There have been no updates recently, but satire or not, the woman's videos highlight the lack of protection for homeowners from trespassers.
Many individuals pointed out the lack of protection New Jersey’s laws offer its residents.
Whether or not the mom’s experience is true, it certainly is raising awareness of some states’ unbelievable laws that allow squatters to claim others’ properties with little to no repercussions taken. In fact, there are currently 12 states that permit this, including Alabama, Arizona, and Oregon.
If you live in one of these states, or any state for that matter, it might be wise to place no-trespassing signs around your property to avoid a squatting situation that you might be powerless to.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.