HI HB224

Creates a new legal procedure allowing property owners to request immediate law enforcement removal of unlawful occupants (squatters) from residential dwellings, provided the occupants are not current/former tenants or immediate family members

Requires the Department of Attorney General to develop a complaint form for property owners to request removal, with law enforcement verifying ownership before serving a notice to immediately vacate

Establishes "instigation of wrongful removal" as a misdemeanor for owners who submit fraudulent complaints, and allows wrongfully removed persons to sue for triple fair market rent plus actual damages and attorney fees

Makes trespassers who damage property exceeding $999 while unlawfully occupying a dwelling guilty of criminal property damage in the second degree (a felony), lowering the threshold from the standard $1,500

Holds unlawful occupants civilly liable for unpaid utility bills incurred during their occupation of the dwelling

Effective date of July 1, 3000 (placeholder date)