What is all this “squatter’s rights”? There is “adverse possession” which usually takes about 20 continuous years of “possession”. Someone showing up in your house while you are away is trespassing.
in many states though- they have ‘rights’ given to them by the state, and the homeowner must go through a legal process to remove them-
“So at what point does a trespasser become a squatter and gain their rights as tenants?
It varies by state law, but as a general rule, if someone has overtly lived in the property for at least 30 days, they start counting as an unlawful tenant rather than a trespasser. It helps their case if they’ve opened utilities in their own name or listed the address on official accounts such as bank accounts.”
https://sparkrental.com/squatters-rights/
Taking ownership of a place is different though:
“Fortunately for property owners, it takes many years for squatters to take ownership through adverse possession. The exact number of years varies by state law, but typically falls between seven and twenty years. A few states even allow adverse possession in as little as five years.”
(from same site)
It sucks- big time- but legally, insanity rules and asinine states have determined that the homeowner can be arrested if they try to physically remove a trespasser if they have been there longer than 30 days