Shawn Meaike, a successful real estate mogul and serial entrepreneur, is sounding the alarm about the growing desperation among property owners facing squatting issues across the United States.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Meaike expressed alarm that law-abiding citizens are being pushed to their breaking point as they watch their investments and dreams crumble due to the actions of illegal occupants.
“Something really bad is going to happen,” Meaike warned, fearing that the lack of legal recourse and law enforcement support in certain states will lead property owners to take drastic measures.
While he does not condone such actions, Meaike empathizes with the plight of these individuals, stating, “They bought a property. They believe in the American dream. They wanted to get ahead. And the American dream became the American nightmare because somebody took what was theirs and the law was on the criminal’s side.”
Squatting has become a national issue, with numerous shocking stories making headlines.
Big guy must have missed the memo: no squatting in Florida! https://t.co/2cSSwHbKyt
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) April 7, 2024
In some states, such as New York, squatters can gain legal rights under specific conditions, leaving homeowners and landlords with few options to reclaim their properties. Many are forced to endure costly and lengthy civil processes to resolve these situations.
RELATED: Democrat Senator John Fetterman Blasts Idea of Squatters Rights, ‘Squatters Have No Rights’
Meaike, who built his wealth through real estate investments and later ventured into waste management and life insurance, worries about the impact on middle-class families who have invested their savings into rental properties.
“How many amazing Middle American families decided to pull together $40,000, put it as a down payment on two or three family home, and then somebody who doesn’t have any regard for any other human being breaks in and lives there,” he lamented.
The real estate mogul dismisses the notion that squatters are protected under adverse possession laws, emphasizing that these laws were intended to resolve minor disputes between neighbors, not to enable individuals to break into homes and claim ownership.
“It wasn’t for me to come down to 214 Main Street, kick the door in, break in, break the window, sit in there and go, ‘Haha, screw you, I live here,'” Meaike explained.
SQUATTING CRISIS: A troubling trend is surfacing in cities nationwide – squatters seizing homes and defying eviction.@choeshow is exposing the situation facing one Washington landlord. Should tenant rights supersede property owner rights?@TPUSA pic.twitter.com/dPsqH6DYEF
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) April 10, 2024
As the squatting crisis continues to escalate, Meaike fears for the financial well-being and emotional state of affected property owners.
“I think there’s a lot of really good people that are getting hurt, they’re getting screwed,” he said. “And, we’re supposed to be providing and protecting those that are abiding by the law, not those that are violating the law, and we’re doing quite the opposite nowadays.”
Some states, such as Florida, have taken steps to address the issue.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation eliminating squatters’ rights and increasing penalties for offenders.
However, Meaike believes that the problem will only worsen as people become emboldened to take what is not rightfully theirs.
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As a businessman, Meaike has made it clear that he would not invest in properties located in states with squatters’ rights.
