# wondering if I should try this?



## blackened1339 (Jan 15, 2009)

I am new here (hi, everyone!) and I need advice. Although I've lived in a tent, I've never squatted a house before. Situations (finance, bullshit, and winter) force me to consider this option. 
There's a house that's all boarded up and empty. It used to be my grandparent's house until they died, and from what I can gather from online research, the home is still in my grandfather's name, although no one has paid taxes on it, and it's not for sale. The place is said by relatives to be in bad disrepair, but that's not a deterrent. The thing is it's in a rather quiet city neighborhood, on a small lot right next to the road. The windows are boarded and the doors are bolted on the exterior. Other than that, it seems a good place.....it's in a neighborhood where the city/pigs won't readily consider the place a nuisance, although it is an eyesore. it would be me and my boyfriend living there. I'm just concerned about the initial getting in......should I risk being seen prying boards off, lol? Or should I look for a more isolated spot? 
Once in there, there is potential for the long-term......the neighbors know my family that lived there for years, and might welcome one of us living there again. 

I am kind of leery about catching a burglary charge, although this place seems like a good option right now. I don't wanna pitch my tent in below zero weather, and I have no place else to go. Plus, I don't feel like paying rent.

Anyone know the laws concerning squatting in upstate NY? I haven't had much luck finding this info online.


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## jonahxx (Jan 15, 2009)

Ill say the fact that it used to belong to your gradparenst is really convenience, is there anyone else you can talk to like in your family that can provide you more info about who owns it, if the neighbors know you this situation ill say is good for just goin there and talk to them saying hi and how your gonna move there just gonna have this company and friends work on it and next day or 2 just go there with a bunch of people and make it look all legal, 

also inviting the neighbors in for a cup of tea or something migh b good furniture in and everything

maybe mail yourself some letters and change your address to that address before doin that, i have squatted in nyc and brooklyn but never upstated

cops in brooklyn busted my squat and have busted friends squats in the past too, noone has getting arrested, cant say the same for my friend who got arrested squatting in manhattan

try to get in touch with some collectives houses there i heard theres a good, anarchist activist squatter community there 

its never a good idea to take off the plywood or a future squat in the daylight oh yeah also putting gas, electricity in your name or you can also steal it from somewhere but the more papers you have showing that u actually legally live there helps alot

good luck


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## zarathustra (Jan 15, 2009)

where upstate? the laws differ.


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## IBRRHOBO (Jan 15, 2009)

i do a bunch of reo shit out here. one innocuous item that could tell you if it's in bank possession is this: the borded windows. if the plywood is cut to fit INSIDE the window casing (meaning that u can't get a grip on the plywood to rip it out) is how we seal up foreclosures under HUD regs out here as property preservation. 

the only reason i mention this is that if it's formally foreclosed on it is a HELL of a lot more difficult to fuck with you as the bank owns it and they can't be contacted @ say 0300, whereas an actual person could be. 

i'm not familiar w/ur laws up there as i do foreclosure work down in tn. good luck though and i would recommend that ur point-of-entry be WELL concealed until such time as u either have 'good standing' w/the neighboorhood or a decent paper trail.


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## blackened1339 (Jan 15, 2009)

Thanks for all replies so far. Im in the Syracuse area. 
I come from a big family, and I don't really want to ask any of them/shed light on my potential "activities". The life I live and the company I keep is generally frowned on, lol....I expressed interest in procuring the place through legal channels, and they quickly tried to persuade me otherwise. I do think a bank may own the place....a second mortgage was taken out on the place some years ago. I haven't had the time to scope the place out much recently, but from what I recall last time I was there, the windows were boarded to fit the windows as IBRRHOBO described. What is the best way to gain entry in such a situation? There is a small, well concealed alley on one side of the house, I'm thinking that going through one of those windows may be the ticket, if I can get through the plywood somehow. 

jonahxx, where is the collective you speak of? I know of one in my city, some "activists" do live there, but to the best of my knowledge, they rent the place legally. People do squat here, but those who do it for political reasons are pretty secretive about it.


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## IBRRHOBO (Jan 16, 2009)

the plywood generally will have two bolts securing a 2x4 which acts as a mechanism not allowing the plywood to be pulled out. couple of ideas here. first, a hacksaw blade can cut thru the bolts, thus releasing the 2x4. second, if there's a door, fashion a squatpick if it's a deadbolt. if only the single, tulip knob is locked, wedge a flathead screwdriver to release the knob. a pair of channel locks will, when used in a twisting fashion, strip open both the tulip and dead bolt. out here i drill the locks, but that's for an eviction /wthe cops there. regardless, i've had to resort to the channel locks to wrest the locks open after i broke a bit. if u have a screw gun, use a 1/8" bit and drill at the top of the tumbler system. then, when u get the locks off, go to lowes and put NEW locks on! this is so that the door doesn't stay open and ur shit is safe!


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## Shoestring (Jan 17, 2009)

*I know for a fact that in NY if you are caught even inside an abandoned building, it's considered "breaking and entering", but if your family owned it, and you can find out somehow what it's despair is, like if it has been sonsidered "unsafe" or "safe" to enter, you could be allowed on the property. (I'm not sure what your relationship is with your immediate family), but I would see first if you would be allowed "legally" on the property estate and go from there.......
Even if you did pop a squat there, you could show that you are a family member and perhaps not have any problems at all with the law???*


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