SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would allow property owners and landlords to evict a squatter after giving a 24-hour notice.

A squatter is an individual who occupies a property without a valid rental agreement or tenant authorization. The bill amends current law to incorporate this new eviction process. The bill allows a landlord or property owner to issue a 24-hour written notice to vacate the property to evict a squatter. The notice must state the date and time the squatter must leave and clearly indicate that the reason for eviction is the person's squatter status.

PAST COVERAGE | Oregon lawmakers debate bill to expedite eviction of squatters with 24-hour notice

The bill explicitly adds squatters to the list of situations considered "unlawful holding by force" under eviction law. This would give property owners and landlords a clearer and faster legal mechanism to reclaim their property from unauthorized occupants.

Currently, Oregon law permits a person to acquire ownership of a property through adverse possession. Adverse possession allows a person to gain ownership if they occupy the property openly, continuously, and exclusively for a period of 10 years without the owner's permission. The claim of adverse possession can lead to lengthy legal battles.

The original bill specified that only the property owner could issue a notice of eviction. The amended bill allows landlords to also issue 24-hour eviction notices to squatters.

Holdover tenants, those who remain in a space after a lease expires, are not included as squatters under this bill.

Oregon Rep. Anessa Hartman, a chief sponsor of this bill, said she was inspired to tackle this issue after hearing a frightening story about squatters in her district. Hartman said that a house was sold at auction, and when the new homeowner arrived, several individuals were living on the property. After confronting the individuals and asking them to leave, the individuals refused and raised hateful imagery outside the home.

"Even after they were trying to offer services on relocation and telling them that the house had been purchased by another landlord or a new homeowner, the individuals there refused to leave and then began hanging Nazi flags," said Rep. Hartman. "They began sort of terrorizing the folks in the area, and it was very difficult for that individual to get them to leave."

This bill will now move to the Oregon Senate for further discussion.