Squatter Bars Landlord From His Own $2 Million Home

Squatter Sang Kim has barred landlord Jaskaran Singh from his $2 million Washington home after refusing to pay rent for two years.

Singh, a Bellevue landlord, is holding a second protest rally on Saturday after two years of Kim living in his rental property without paying rent. The rally will call for Kim to leave the property immediately.

While Singh legally owns the home, he's been forced to stay off the premises due to a Temporary Protection Order filed by Kim. This means he must stay 1,000 feet away from the property he legally owns.

During the rally, family members and landlord rights supporters are expected to show in mass numbers, and a GoFundMe in support of Singh has so far raised $1,000 with a $100,000 goal.

The fundraiser says it hopes to support Singh as he faces thousands of dollars in lost rent and legal fees.

"Jaskaran Singh's situation continues to deteriorate as he struggles to remove serial squatter Sang Kim from his Bellevue home," the GoFundMe reads. "Kim has now stayed in the house for nearly two years and refuses to leave or pay rent. This con man and liar has also convinced a King County judge to grant a Temporary Restraining Order against Singh."

The Housing Justice Project has stepped up in support of Kim and is offering him free legal assistance and "convincing the courts to delay any judgements in his case," the GoFundMe said.

"This outrageous story has gone viral and shows mom & pop landlords have virtually no protections in Washington state," the fundraiser reads.

Singh has committed to fight and protest the squatter's continued stay in his residence and said Kim owes roughly $80,000 in unpaid rent.

"All the neighbors, all the mom and pop landlords are invited to join and raise a voice that this should stop," Singh told local station KOMO.

"I have suffered an $80,000 loss. This should stop. This is a fight against injustice."

Newsweek reached out to The Housing Justice Project, which represents Kim, for comment via email.

How Is This Legal?

Many watching the landlord drama unfold may be wondering how Kim has a legal right to stay within a home he is no longer paying rent for.

According to Cody Horvat, a real estate broker for The Scott Group, squatters' rights fall under state and local jurisdiction, so the rules vary significantly based on where you live.

"For many states, there is a certain amount of time that a squatter must inhabit a property before they are afforded rights," Horvat said.

The best way for landlords to protect themselves from a Singh-Kim legal battle is to run a detailed background check on your potential tenants, Horvat said. That includes calling all their previous landlords.

Alan Chang, the founder and president of Vested Title & Escrow, said stories like the one in Bellevue, Washington have been occurring all over the country in recent years. While tenant rights skyrocketed during the pandemic, landlords faced their own difficulties, also dealing with economic uncertainty and reduced payments on their properties.

"The pandemic and social media seemed to have triggered a broader awareness of eviction prevention in many metros and there will always be bad actors to take advantage of the system," Chang told Newsweek.

Chang said he believes states that lean liberal enforce tenant protection over "basic fairness of unjust enrichment," which can be seen in Washington, an overwhelmingly Democrat state.

"The generalization is that landlords are a faceless corporation that is out for profit, but there are thousands of mom-and-pop real estate investors that are getting hit hard and losing their principal income streams due to these more known tactics now," Chang said.