NYC Homeowners Tell CBS They Are Now in Debt Because They Have to Pay Squatters’ Utility Bills

Reporter: “Why can’t you just change the locks?”
HOMEOWNER 1: “Oh, I will be arrested instantly.”
HOMEOWNER 2: “They turned off the hot water and then reported that they had no hot water. It’s a $250 fine per day, up to $15,000, punishable by five years in jail.”
Reporter: “So here you are, you have to pay the upkeep of the house.”
HOMEOWNER 3: “Right.”
Reporter: “And not getting any rent?”
HOMEOWNER 3: “I’m not getting any rent, and I’m paying gas and electric every month.”

Reporter (voice-over): “Horror stories repeated over and over and over again by irate and often unwitting property owners, worry lines marking their faces, who came to city councilwoman Vicky Paladino’s office desperately seeking help. Hong Chan has been thousands trying unsuccessfully to get the squatters out of this home in Maspeth. John Socran using his pension money for expenses on this College Point home he hoped would provide retirement income, and Susan Mascara, who’s used up her savings paying for seven years of upkeep on this Bayside home she inherited from her mother.”

HOMEOWNER 2: “I’m in debt. My credit cards are pretty much maxed out.”