Washington state landlord Jaskaran Singh is outraged by a serial squatter who owes thousands in back rent and has repeatedly thwarted eviction efforts from his rental property.
“He paid for the first month [or] two months rent and basically, after that, he’s living rent-free,” Singh told “Fox & Friends First” on Monday.
The unnamed Seattle-area tenant received assistance from the Housing Justice Project (HJP), a local homelessness prevention group who offered him free legal assistance and paid both the back rent and a three-month advance to afford him time to move out, according to a local report.
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His refusal to leave, however, forces Singh to fight an uphill battle riddled with even more challenges to collecting rent.
“They are simply exploiting the system, and I’m not getting justice. Justice is delayed. I would say justice is denied. The judges are not ready to listen to me, and this is not what the American dream is,” he said.
Singh took the fight to the property’s doorstep, challenging the squatter in a confrontation caught on-camera.
After the brief confrontation, the squatter went back inside the home and slammed the door.
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According to KOMO News in Seattle, the tenant lost his job during the pandemic and is still struggling to find work in his field. Singh’s attorney, however, noted that the tenant has new vehicles parked in the driveway.
The next court case on the matter is slated for April 5.
Meanwhile, community members have rallied against squatting in the area. Footage shared by Seattle-based journalist Jonathan Choe captured responses from a number of neighbors and landlords protesting outside the property.
“If you’re not going to pay, you shouldn’t stay there,” said King County Republican Party Vice Chair Kory Hahn, who led a “Get out, con man!” chant in Korean.
“We’re just tired of criminals getting away with stuff,” another protester said.
Others joined in chants of “no pay, no stay.”
Choe reiterated to host Carley Shimkus that Singh had gone through the appropriate legal channels to get something done, but to no avail.
“[This is happening in] an elite neighborhood, and these homes are all multi-million dollar homes,” he explained.
“This King County Housing Justice Project, a nonprofit for the King County Bar Association, somehow convinces these judges to get continuances, and it keeps getting delayed, delayed and delayed. What I’ve uncovered is that that’s the tactic. That’s the entire play. That’s the standard for success. Meanwhile, these mom-and-pop landlords are missing out. They’re being completely demoralized,” he continued.
Choe noted there are concerns about “vigilante justice” in the area as well. Footage taken from the protest captured community members banging on the rental home’s front door as police stepped in to usher people away from the property.
According to KOMO News’ report, approximately 200 locals showed up to the protest in the Bellevue neighborhood. Singh’s attorney, who attended, told the outlet he noticed representatives from the both major political parties as well as people who traveled from outside the community to join and said their presence is proof the issue affects everyone.
