How the 'Squatter Hunter' is fighting home takeovers with tech

You leave a home empty while you travel, prepare it for sale or help an aging parent move. Then an unfamiliar car appears in the driveway. Someone gets inside. Before long, that person may even claim to have a lease. That kind of situation turned Flash Shelton into the man now known as the "Squatter Hunter." I recently sat down with Shelton on "The CyberGuy Report" podcast to talk about how his unusual line of work began and what homeowners can do before an unwanted occupant settles in. He stars in A&E's "Squatters," which follows him and his team as they help property owners reclaim homes from unauthorized occupants. What stood out during our conversation was how often his advice came back to technology. A camera alert or alarm can give you something that becomes much harder to get later: evidence of when someone showed up and how they got inside. 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Shelton told me he was "just being a good son" and felt he had to protect his mother after the squatters took advantage of the empty house. He called the sheriff and says he was told there was little law enforcement could do because the situation had become a civil issue. Shelton knew almost nothing about squatting at the time, but he did not accept that answer. "I was like, screw that. I'm going to do something about it," he recalled. He started researching how squatters operate and when occupancy claims can become harder to untangle. His approach was unconventional. His mother, who owned the house, signed a legitimate lease giving Shelton the right to occupy the property. Shelton says he wanted documentation showing he had permission to be there in case the squatters produced a fake lease of their own. He then waited for the occupants to leave and entered the house using his key. Once inside, he started installing cameras and a security system. His thinking, he said, was that "if they can take a house, I can take a house." When some of the occupants returned, Shelton told them he had possession of the property and gave them until the end of the day to remove their furniture. He says cars and trucks soon arrived, and the house was cleared. Years later, that experience has turned into a full-time mission and an A&E series. Why squatting is getting more attention across the US Squatting can create a serious and expensive problem for homeowners, even though there is no reliable nationwide count showing exactly how often it happens. Part of the challenge is how these cases are tracked. Squatting does not appear as its own category in national crime databases, and cases can be handled differently depending on whether authorities view them as trespassing, fraud or a landlord-tenant dispute. That makes it difficult to put one national number on the problem. What we do know is that lawmakers across the country have been responding. As of July 2026, the National Apartment Association reported that 28 states had enacted laws addressing squatting. Another 25 states have introduced or considered legislation during 2026. Those measures include faster removal procedures and new penalties for some forms of unauthorized occupancy. There are also documented cases showing how disruptive squatting can become. A New York City Department of Investigation review found unauthorized occupants in 548 vacant NYCHA apartments. Joint DOI and NYPD operations reclaimed 60 of those apartments and resulted in 81 arrests involving unauthorized occupants accused of criminal activity connected with the properties. So while there is no single number showing how many homes are affected nationwide, the growing legislative response and documented cases make one thing clear: unauthorized home takeovers are a real problem, and homeowners have good reason to think about prevention before a property sits empty. LAKE TAHOE SQUATTER SUSPECT CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE IN RICH-AND-FAMOUS MOUNTAIN RETREAT The technology lesson Flash wishes he had learned sooner For all the unusual tactics Shelton has used since becoming the "Squatter Hunter," his biggest piece of advice is surprisingly simple. Put cameras on a vacant property before there is a problem. Looking back at his mother's home, Shelton told me, "If I had cameras on my mom's house back then, I wouldn't be the squatter hunter today." The back door had been broken. What Shelton lacked was proof showing exactly when the entry happened and who did it. He believes footage could have changed the situation from the beginning. With cameras, Shelton said, he could have shown authorities, "on this date, at this time, and this is the person." That is where today's home technology can make a real difference. A connected camera can alert you when somebody approaches a house. It can record an entry. It can also give law enforcement a timeline before competing stories about who belongs there begin. Why a fake lease can complicate everything One of the biggest challenges can appear after someone gets inside. Shelton says experienced squatters may produce a lease and claim they were given permission to live there. "They know that if they get into a property and show a lease and create reasonable doubt," Shelton told me, law enforcement may refer the property owner to the courts instead of immediately removing the occupant. That is another reason camera footage can become so useful. A document may say one thing. Video showing someone forcing a door or entering a clearly vacant home can provide additional evidence about what actually happened. Shelton says many of the people he encounters understand how housing rules work and try to use tenant protections to delay removal. Shelton says the goal is tenant rights, not adverse possession You hear the phrase "squatters' rights" constantly, but it can blur together very different legal concepts. Adverse possession generally requires someone to occupy property openly for a period set by state law while meeting other specific requirements. That can take years. Shelton says the disputes he deals with tend to revolve around something much more immediate: whether an unauthorized occupant can create enough uncertainty to be treated as a tenant. "Squatters are doing everything they can to gain tenant rights," Shelton told me. "They're not interested in squatter laws or rights. They want tenant rights." That helps explain why the legal response varies so much by state. Some states have created faster procedures for owners who say an unauthorized person took over a property. Others have increased penalties for fake leases or fraudulent documents. ALLEGED MALIBU SERIAL SQUATTER FEATURED IN NEW DOCUSERIES AFTER YEARS OF HOMEOWNER COMPLAINTS Some cases go far beyond an empty vacation home Shelton has dealt with situations that sound much more disturbing than somebody slipping into an abandoned property. During our interview, he described a case involving an 88-year-old woman in Culver City, California, who had hired a caregiver. According to Shelton, the caregiver lost the job but refused to leave the home. He said the situation eventually required intervention through social services and described it as a case involving elder abuse. That experience sticks with him because the homeowner was especially vulnerable. Shelton has also worked on expensive properties. He recalled one Malibu home worth roughly $8 million and another case involving a Hollywood Hills mansion. His point was that there is no single profile of a property that can attract an unauthorized occupant. The same goes for the people involved. "They don't have a look," Shelton told me. "Squatters are your neighbors." Be careful before trying the Squatter Hunter approach yourself Watching Shelton confront people makes compelling television. Copying what you see on A&E could put you in a dangerous situation. The laws governing trespassing, tenancy and removal vary by state. If you discover somebody inside your property, call law enforcement and document what you can safely. Save camera footage. Preserve records showing when the property became vacant. Keep documentation identifying anyone who had permission to be there. If someone claims to be a tenant, an attorney familiar with local property law can help determine the appropriate next move. Shelton brings years of experience into these encounters. He also has experience with de-escalation, which is another reminder that the confrontations you see on television come with risks. That is very different from a homeowner walking into a house alone and confronting a stranger. Flash Shelton ultimately wants to put himself out of business The growing attention around squatting has turned Shelton into a television personality and given him more cases than he can handle. But he says his long-term goal goes in the opposite direction. "There are no shortage of cases" where people need help, he told me. Still, Shelton said, "I ultimately want to change these laws and put myself out of business." In the meantime, his biggest message for homeowners has less to do with dramatic confrontations. Pay attention early. A camera can tell you someone arrived. An alarm can tell you a door opened. A neighbor can tell you a moving truck has suddenly pulled into the driveway. Once somebody has spent time inside and starts claiming the right to be there, the situation can become much more complicated. NYC LANDLORD PLEADS FOR HELP AS '9-YEAR-SQUATTER' CONTINUES TO DRAIN HIM DRY IN COURT SAGA: 'TWILIGHT ZONE' Flash Shelton's tips to help protect your home from squatters During our conversation, I kept asking Shelton the question most homeowners probably have: What can I actually do before this happens? His advice focuses on making a vacant property easier to monitor while reducing the signs that nobody is around. 1) Put cameras around the property Start with cameras covering the most likely entry points. Shelton likes the fact that systems today allow homeowners to check their property remotely. As he told me, "you can be anywhere in the world" and monitor what is happening at home from your phone. Look for motion alerts and person detection. Night vision can help when someone arrives after dark. Also check how your recordings are stored. If an incident occurs, save important clips so they do not disappear when a cloud-storage retention period expires. You can see my picks for the 12 best outdoor security cameras at CyberGuy.com. 2) Make sure your security works when the power goes out A camera becomes a lot less useful if the electricity goes down. Shelton says he often works with battery-powered cameras because properties do not always have active power or internet access. Some batteries can keep a camera running for weeks or months, depending on the model and how frequently it records. He also recommends checking the backup capabilities of an alarm system. Before leaving a property vacant, Shelton told me to "make sure you've got cameras, your alarm system, everything's up-to-date." That means testing the system before you leave instead of assuming last year's setup still works. For a more complete setup, see my Best Home Security Systems 2026 guide at CyberGuy.com. 3) Use lights to make the home appear occupied Shelton recommends timers for indoor lights and solar-powered security lighting when permanent power presents a problem. He also likes rechargeable lights with battery backup. That way, the house does not suddenly go completely dark during an outage. A smart plug or connected bulb can also let you adjust lighting remotely. The goal is to avoid broadcasting that a property has been sitting untouched. 4) Bring a trusted neighbor into the loop One of Shelton's most practical tips costs nothing. Tell trusted neighbors when a house will be vacant and make it clear whether anybody has permission to enter. As Shelton put it, "Your neighbors, they don't want you to have a squatter either." Ask them to contact you if an unfamiliar vehicle repeatedly appears in the driveway or someone begins carrying furniture inside. Shelton relied on a neighbor himself at his mother's house. The property had no Wi-Fi, so a neighbor allowed him to use a nearby connection for his camera. That option will depend on range and the equipment involved, but the larger lesson still works. A neighbor can notice activity before you ever receive a call from anyone else. 5) Secure your mailbox Shelton says people scouting vacant properties can pay attention to mailboxes. An overflowing box may signal that nobody has been around. He also worries about an unauthorized occupant receiving mail at an address and later presenting it as evidence that they live there. "Make sure you have a mailbox that is lockable," Shelton advised. If you are traveling, arrange to have your mail held or picked up. Also, pay attention if correspondence begins arriving for unfamiliar people at a property that should be empty. Our CyberGuy vacation guide has more on mail holds and home security before a trip: 6 things to do before you leave on vacation. 6) Ask about no-trespassing registration Putting up a no-trespassing sign sounds obvious. Shelton says homeowners should find out whether their local law enforcement agency offers an additional step. He told me that some sheriff's departments allow owners to file a form documenting that a property has been posted against trespassing. Why bother? A person can pull a sign down. Shelton described the thinking pretty simply: someone sees the notice, removes it and later says, "What sign?" Having something on file with local authorities may help document the owner's wishes even if the physical notice disappears. Procedures vary, so check directly with your local sheriff or police department before relying on this strategy. SAN FRANCISCO HOME WITH HISTORY OF SQUATTERS UNDER CONTRACT FOR $1.3 MILLION 7) Make an empty house look less empty Shelton also recommends thinking about the clues people can see from the street. Put lights on timers. Keep the yard maintained. Avoid leaving packages outside. If practical, Shelton suggests leaving a vehicle in the driveway. He even recommends asking a trusted friend whether they can park there while you are away. None of that guarantees somebody will stay away. It can make a vacant property less obvious to a person scouting for an easy target. 8) Check everything before leaving for vacation If you plan to be gone for a week or longer, Shelton recommends doing one final security check before you leave. "Make sure you've got cameras, your alarm system, everything's up-to-date," he told me. Check camera batteries. Make sure motion alerts reach your phone. Confirm that your alarm is communicating properly. Also think about what happens if someone cuts the power or the neighborhood has an outage. Shelton recommends equipment with battery backup whenever possible. A few minutes spent testing everything before you leave could prevent you from discovering later that the camera you were counting on stopped recording days earlier. 9) Watch your home title too A squatter moving into a property does not automatically gain legal ownership of it. However, homeowners should also be aware of a separate threat called home title fraud. Criminals can use fraudulent documents or stolen personal information to try to change property records or obtain financing tied to a home. That makes property-record monitoring another layer of protection. A home title monitoring service can alert you to certain changes involving your property records, including a new owner, new lender or changes in financing. Home title monitoring cannot stop someone from entering your property or prevent a fraudulent filing. However, an alert can help you spot an unexpected change and investigate it sooner. See my tips and best picks on home title monitoring services at CyberGuy.com. Kurt's key takeaways What happened at Flash Shelton's mother's house shows how quickly a vacant property can become somebody else's opportunity. For me, the most useful part of his story comes before any confrontation. Shelton wishes he had cameras running when people first entered his mother's home. That says a lot. The sooner you know somebody has entered your property, the sooner you can call for help and preserve evidence showing what happened. I also would not overlook the low-tech advice. Tell a trusted neighbor when a property should be empty. Pay attention to the mailbox. Find out what your local police or sheriff recommends before you need them. And remember that the law is changing quickly. With 28 states now having enacted measures addressing squatting, you should check the rules where your property is located rather than assuming something you saw online applies everywhere. You can hear my full conversation with Flash Shelton on The CyberGuy Report podcast. Should states make it easier for homeowners to remove squatters quickly, or could tougher laws go too far? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.