By Forum Staff
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz will host a Homeowner Deed Protection Webinar this Monday, Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.
According to the two elected officials, the webinar will outline and teach homeowners about how to protect their property from deed theft, along with updates on the impactful changes in the State law that strip squatters of any housing protections.
Deed theft occurs when someone takes the title of someone’s home without the homeowner’s knowledge or approval. This can occur through forgery, or through fraud as a homeowner unwittingly signs the deed over to a scammer. According to the City Sheriff’s Office, there have been at least 3,500 deed theft complaints filed across the five boroughs in the past 10 years.
Photo Courtesy of DA Katz
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz
Recently, Pheffer Amato said she worked with the City Police Department to remove a squatter in Howard Beach after residents became suspicious of a woman living in a vacant home. The woman was arrested and criminal charges were filed by Katz. In the 2024 State Budget, Pheffer Amato helped to change the State law to strip squatters of any perceived protections and clarify that squatters do not have any tenant rights. The change was designed to make it easier for law enforcement to remove squatters and for DAs to charge them with crimes.
“You don’t get to break into a house and think there are no consequences,” the assemblywoman said.
Pheffer Amato also noted that she voted to officially create the crime of deed theft and implement new tools that can prevent, and also stop, the process through district attorneys and the State attorney general.
The hour-long Zoom will include a brief presentation regarding the changed laws and steps you can take to prevent deed theft and squatters, along with the opportunity for questions with members of the DA’s team.
To register for the webinar, visit queensda.org/upcoming-events/.
