REMOVING UNLAWFUL OCCUPANTS FROM PROPERTY

HB 309 creates a streamlined process for property owners to remove individuals unlawfully occupying their residential properties. To use this process, owners or agents must submit a verified complaint form to local law enforcement confirming the occupant entered without permission, isn't a tenant or family member, and has been asked to leave. Law enforcement must then serve a notice to vacate (via hand delivery or posting) and may assist with securing the property while owners change locks. The bill also allows wrongly removed occupants to sue for damages and specifies that the process applies only to trespassers, not to tenants under lease agreements or family members.