NYC’s squatter scourge is so bad even lefty lawmakers are moving to crack down

New York’s squatter nightmare has gotten truthful acold retired of power that adjacent wide lawmakers are yet moving to plug the loopholes that person facilitated the crisis.

Democratic arsenic good arsenic Republican lawmakers successful Albany are pushing measures to ace down connected the outrageous scourge, including 1 measure introduced by lefty Sen. John Liu (D-Queens) that was included successful the just-completed state-budget agreement.

Liu credited sum by The Post and others for bringing “to our attraction a occupation that needed to beryllium addressed.”

You stake it needs addressing.

Until now, anyone who stayed successful a location beyond for a definite magnitude of clip (just 30 days successful the city!) could assertion ineligible occupancy and unit landlords into drawn-out ineligible proceedings that could instrumentality years to get them evicted.

Moreover, among the disastrous changes to lodging instrumentality nether Gov. Andrew Cuomo successful 2019 was 1 that required “a peculiar proceeding” to footwear retired squatters.

The flawed statutes, the onslaught of migrants seeking places to live, the state’s brushed attack to transgression mostly and a backlog of housing-court cases (thanks to COVID tribunal closures) person combined to nonstop squatting soaring — up as overmuch arsenic 20% implicit the past 2 years, per 1 real-estate expert.

Gov. Hochul, who signed disconnected connected the fund woody that included the legislation, besides praised media efforts: “No 1 other stood up,” she said.

Some of the cases The Post has reported are, indeed, compelling:

• Two teenage squatters allegedly murdered the proprietor of a Manhattan flat erstwhile she showed up.

• A unit of gun-toting amerciable immigrants took implicit a portion successful The Bronx.

• In Queens, cops really arrested a homeowner for trying to get escaped of squatters.

• Another scammer tried to bargain a $2 cardinal home from an aged mates with a disabled son.

• A migrant TikToker with 500,000-plus followers encouraged squatting successful caller video, announcing that nether US law, “if a location successful not inhabited, we tin prehend it.”

No civilized assemblage tin past with specified lawlessness.

Liu promises that the caller authorities makes “crystal clear” squatters are not tenants; that alteration volition “get the shot rolling” to code the contented portion lawmakers instrumentality up further measures, helium says.

“We’ve addressed this situation truthful squatters bash not person the aforesaid rights arsenic tenants,” added Hochul. “That is firm. They tin beryllium prosecuted, and determination volition be consequences for them,”

State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-LI), meanwhile, has a refom bundle that would fto cops footwear squatters connected the spot, based simply connected a sworn ailment from an owner.

Of course, that whitethorn spell excessively acold for the crime-friendly progressives who predominate the Legislature.

On the different hand, that unit usually includes Liu, truthful perhaps Mattera’s ideas won’t get quashed successful committee; astatine least, lawmakers are talking astir much steps to get tough.

One tiny measurement toward sanity won’t beryllium capable to extremity New York’s squatting scourge: The Post volition support connected “standing up” to bring “the problem” to Albany’s “attention.”