Squatters in Douglas County

This blog post is being written in May of 2024. Hopefully this issue will start to lessen or go away in the future, but we wanted to bring the issue of squatters to the community as it seems to be a growing issue in Douglas County among rental property. We want property owners and agents to be aware.

What is squatting?

"Squatters" are people that have trespassed and moved into a home or onto a vacant property with the intention of making it their own. Oftentimes they intentionally damage the property. The property owner then returns to find that squatters are illegally inhabiting the property and have paid no compensation in return. This is a criminal act in the state of Minnesota.

Squatters in Douglas County

There have been a couple recent squatting incidents in Douglas County  rental properties where the squatters have been either invited to a property or rented a property (VRBO, Airbnb, or other rental source) and then didn't leave. Squatters in vacant or abandoned properties is nothing new, but squatters in deliberately going into rental properties with a plan to take it over is not something that has been regularly reported to law enforcement. This is the issue that seems to be growing. Offenders in a vast majority of these incidents are local persons that have criminal records, have a drug and/or alcohol related history, and/or are near homeless.

Senator Torrey Westrom is presenting legislation in Minnesota that would crack down on squatters and the rights that they currently have. There is an article linked down below on that.

What Property Owners can do

If you own property in an area that you do not live, there are a few great ways to protect your property. Installing a security system with cameras is a great way to be notified when there is activity at the property. There are also great, local property management companies that will keep eyes on the property and fend of unwanted trespassers.

Link to Echo Press Article