H.R. 2334: To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to preempt any squatter’s rights established by State law regarding real property owned by a member of the uniformed services.

This bill aims to modify the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by specifically addressing the issue of squatter’s rights in relation to properties owned by members of the military. The main focus of the bill is to ensure that any state laws that confer squatting rights do not apply to military personnel. Here are the key provisions:

Key Provisions

• Squatter’s Rights Preemption: The bill would establish that any state law allowing individuals to claim squatter’s rights would not be applicable to real estate owned by servicemembers. This means if a servicemember is deployed or otherwise away from their property, any claims made by squatters to that property during their absence would not be legally recognized.
• Eligibility: The preemption specifically applies to properties that are owned by a servicemember and occupied by a squatter at any point during the servicemember's military service.

Amendment Details

The bill proposes an insertion into the existing Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, adding a new section that clearly outlines the handling of squatter’s rights. This includes:

1. The identification of applicable properties owned by servicemembers.
2. The stipulation that these properties cannot be claimed under squatter’s rights while the servicemember is serving in the military.

Clerical Update

Additionally, the bill includes a clerical amendment to the table of contents within the Act, reflecting the new section that deals specifically with the preemption of squatter’s rights.

Purpose of the Bill

The overall purpose of the bill is to protect servicemembers from losing their property rights due to squatting while they are serving in the military and potentially unable to manage their real estate. With this amendment, the intention is to provide servicemembers with clearer legal recourse and ensure their property rights are upheld during their absence due to service obligations.

Relevant Companies

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