Bill > SB207

This bill establishes a new process for property owners to remove unlawful occupants from residential real property, allowing them to request a peace officer to remove individuals who entered without permission, do not have a rental agreement, are not immediate family members, and are not involved in pending litigation concerning the property. It also modifies criminal statutes by increasing the penalty for criminal trespass in the first degree if significant damage is caused, adding "rental agreement" to the list of instruments that can be the subject of forgery in the second degree, and creating a new category of deceptive business practices for selling or leasing a dwelling without the right to do so, which is classified as a class C felony. Additionally, the bill amends court rules to shorten the timeframe for eviction hearings from 15 to 7 days from the complaint filing date and clarifies that wrongfully removed occupants can recover actual damages, three times the monthly rent, and full reasonable attorney fees, with a provision that this attorney fee recovery is contingent on a separate section of the bill receiving a two-thirds legislative vote.

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https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB207