Landlord Finally Confronts Squatter Who Owes Him $80,000 in Rent; Here's What Happened Next

Rising rent is plaguing a large number of people across the world, making it difficult for the younger generation to survive in major American cities. But at a time like this, squatters occupying spaces without paying rent for months or even years has become something of a scam in itself. Fed up of this con, a Seattle landlord decided to take action on his own and confront a squatter who owes him over $80,000 in rent and refuses to leave his $2 million home. Jaskaran Singh says that he rented his five-bedroom home on 123rd Avenue near Seattle, Washington, to a man's family in the summer of 2022. After filing for eviction, the tenant was granted an extension with a court date set for April 5. However, he decided to take matters into his own hands and organized a protest with more than 200 people outside the house. He later told KOMO News, "I have suffered a loss of $80,000. This should stop. This is a fight against injustice."

Singh confronted the squatter at his $2 million home that reportedly has two bedrooms and is spread over an area of 1,600 square feet. Singh walked to the front of his home and knocked on the door. After the tenant opened the door, he straight away charged him and said, "You haven’t paid the rent for the last year." The tenant tried to go back into the house but Singh said, "Wait, I need to talk… You haven’t paid the rent for six months. This is my house." Singh later told the publication that, he was simply not ready to pay rent and was "exploiting the system."

The Housing Justice Project (HJP) has reportedly intervened after Singh filed eviction proceedings and paid a portion of the back rent. This enabled the family to live in the home for three more months. But even after that term ended in May 2023, the family continued to live in the home and started missing rent payments once again.

The tenant claims that he lost his job during the pandemic and has been unable to find work as a consultant in the medical field. But, Singh refuses to believe this and mentions that the tenant has two brand-new cars parked in the driveway.

During the protest, Kory Hahn, vice chair of the King County Republican Party, led a "Go Away, Crook!” shouted in Korean and said, “If you’re not going to pay, you shouldn’t stay there."

Singh’s lawyer, Stephen Freeborn told KOMO News, "We had representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties and I was surprised and happy to see it because this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This should be a bipartisan issue because it affects everyone. I’m glad that this kind of thing (the protest) is starting to happen because they’re afraid no one is listening. Nobody listens to them." "These landlords are dying on the vine, which is bad for the economy," he added. As of now, the tenant has been granted a temporary restraining order against Singh.

Squatter rights were established for several reasons homelessness, the power imbalance between landlords and tenants, and more. However, now, many are taking a stand against squatters who are simply taking advantage of the laws. "What’s happening is landlords are being very cautious about the who they’re renting to. What the system has created is a form of discrimination!" Singh's lawyer said.