Squatters Set Fire to Owner’s Home

By Idy Perl

The recent squatters crisis has been in the news the last few weeks as frustrated landlords try to deal with this issue. A story in Boro Park really shows landlords just how little they can do about squatters causing serious damage to their homes. 

Zafar Iqbal, landlord of the residence at 1237 67th Street in the Dyker Heights neighborhood near Boro Park, bought this $1.1 million home at with his hard-earned money, and after living there for a few years moved out for a few months with plans to renovate. He hasn’t been able to do any of that yet since squatters moved in and took over his home. Since squatters now have more rights than landlords, Iqbal’s hands are tied.

“Every two or three weeks I go there but I don’t approach,” Iqbal told a reporter. “I don’t know if these guys have weapons or whatever. My safety is precious too.”

Things escalated quickly until one day he got a call from the fire department that his home had been torched. One of the squatters in his home, Cheng Chen, was charged with arson and criminal mischief, and was hit with a shockingly short sentence of 6 months. 

Iqbal thought he was in the clear once Chen was arrested, but that was not the case. Squatters kept coming to his home, and he’s forced to continue making mortgage payments while they destroy his property. Worst of all, like other landlords dealing with squatters, Iqbal’s hands are tied and there’s nothing he can do to get rid of them.