Squatter Hunter Flash Shelton Says Laws Give Intruders Full Tenant Rights

Flash Shelton thought a call to law enforcement would resolve the problem when squatters took over his late father's home in 2019. Instead, deputies told him they could do nothing, the reality TV star said in an interview with Fox News Digital. The incident upended his understanding of property rights.

Shelton had moved his mother into his own home while the family grieved. He told Fox News Digital that most Americans would be shocked not just by squatters occupying homes, but by how the law treats them once inside.

"All of the rights, not just some of the rights, but all of the rights fall to the squatter," he said. Shelton added that homeowners might be surprised to learn a squatter can create reasonable doubt to gain full tenant rights. "There isn't a system in place that says that you have to have a lease or you have to be able to show rent payments to be a tenant. That if you have possession you have rights."

In his experience, homeowners have little chance against squatters. "Squatters figure out different ways to take properties and they know what to say," Shelton said. "The whole system is wrong."

Shelton said some squatters even obtain leases with false promises to pay rent. Once in place, those leases make them full tenants. "Every single other contract would be null and void if you enter it, and you sign it under fraudulent means," he explained.

"Originally, the system was designed because they were looking at homeowners as being rich, and they were looking at tenants as being poor," Shelton said. "So they created a system to level those terms. But what they forgot is the fact that homeowners are not all rich and just because you own a mortgage, doesn't mean that you have money. It is unfavorably unbalanced right now and it is failing homeowners."

Shelton called on lawmakers who defend the system to relate to people without money to fight these cases. "Some of these people are losing homes over this because they can't afford to fight," he said.

Shelton built a following online as an anti-squatter activist and content creator. His viral "Squatter Hunter" videos on TikTok and YouTube, including confrontations with alleged squatters and eviction standoffs, drew wide attention. That led to his A&E show "Squatters."

The series follows Shelton and his team as they assist homeowners across the country. Critics call his tactics aggressive, but he insists he stays within the law. To reclaim his parents' home, Shelton mirrored the legal tactics squatters use.

"I had to take it into my own hands and figure it out, and I learned everything about squatters," he said. "I figured out that if they could take the house, I could take the house, and I was gonna go take my house back."

Some have accused him of acting as a vigilante. "I do a lot to make sure that I am working within the guidelines of law," Shelton told Fox News Digital. "Not only to protect myself, but also to protect the homeowners."

He compared his approach to squatters'. "Squatters are taking a law that allows them to do something, and they are taking a home," he said. "I am doing things in a legal way to take the home back, and I'm not going in with firearms in any way. I am not putting myself or my team in harm. We are doing a lot of research to make sure that everyone is going to be safe. Not everyone is going to agree with what I do. But how I defend what I do is preparation research and I do everything that I can to make sure that it's safe and legal."

"Squatters" premiered on May 12. Shelton said his goal is to raise awareness and aid families who cannot afford to fight.