Texas Senate Cracks down on Squatters and Protects Property Owners

The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 38, a high-priority measure authored by Senator Paul Bettencourt (R) and championed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R), aimed at ending what lawmakers describe as a growing crisis of squatting across the state. The legislation seeks to restore property rights and reform what Bettencourt called a “broken” civil eviction process that has left hundreds of homeowners and landlords vulnerable to abuse.

“His instruction was to ‘Secure Texas against Squatters,’ and SB 38 does!” Bettencourt declared following the bill’s passage.

He pointed to multiple testimonies from homeowners and property managers detailing alarming cases in which squatters unlawfully took over homes and remained protected by legal loopholes.

“The current process is so broken that it punishes the rightful property owners while rewarding trespassers who know how to game the system,” he said.

One such case involved a homeowner whose Mesquite residence was broken into, her belongings sold off and then denied reentry over the holidays by a local judge.

“You can’t make these up,” Sen. Bettencourt said. “Squatter horror story after horror story was told.”

During State Affairs Committee hearings, property management experts and housing advocates testified to the severity of the issue. Stephanie Graves, a Houston-based property manager, reported over 102 squatter incidents, with each case taking an average of 128 days and costing about $7,400 to resolve.

Crystal Moya, representing a Dallas housing project, said it took six months to legally evict squatters who later left online reviews posing as legitimate tenants. Chris Newton of the Texas Apartment Association revealed that a group known as “Trends la Guirada” had illegally seized between 250 and 300 apartment units in San Antonio, posing as an immigrant services center and collecting rent from tenants without the owners’ knowledge.

“These stories are outrageous, but they’re real and they’re happening statewide,” said Bettencourt. “It should be simple. Squatters do not have the right to occupy property they do NOT own. We’re fixing the system and speeding up the process. Texans deserve the right to reclaim their property without delays, loopholes, or abuse.”

Governor Greg Abbott (R) endorsed the legislation, stating, “Private property rights are a cornerstone of our values and legal system. It is against the law to live or stay on somebody’s property without their permission. We need stronger laws to immediately remove and prosecute squatters.”

Approved in the Texas Senate, SB 38 now heads to the Texas House, where Rep. Angie Chen Button (R) is carrying the companion bill, HB 32, with Speaker Pro-tem Joe Moody (D) already supporting an amendment to the measure.