# squatting laws?



## Cush

my friend adam has been doing some research and wants to start a long term squat. apparently there is some law that states that if you squat a certain place for long enough it becomes legally yours. does anyone have any information on this? does anyone have any tips on how to start a squat, how to not get evicted, stuff like that?


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## punkkus

For some reason I thought that Squatter's Rights law only applied to Europe, not U.S., but I'm not certain.

Checking to see if back-mail has piled up at an address is a typical way of determining if a squat is abandoned or not.

Repairing/renovating your squat, changing the locks, typically keeping clear open communication with neighbors, having mail, library cards, swimming cards and other forms of ID that have your address on it sent to you at your building will help you prove that you live there and decrease the chances of being evicted.

Surprisingly wiki has a decent section on world-wide [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting]squatting[/ame] with listings of popular & famous squats and good external links. "Survival Without Rent" is a little dated, but I think it's still relevent to answer the fundamentals of starting your own long-term squat.


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## potzemny

in new mexico if a property is condemed and morgated to the bank if after a month you have the city people come down and notarize a thing saying that you are making repairs to the things that made the building condemed (i.e roof, plumbing, whatever) after a year you can buy it for mortgage price, or stay there for 7 years and own it. but it all has to be notarized stuff


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## punkkus

*potzemny wrote:*


> in new mexico if a property is condemed and morgated to the bank if after a month you have the city people come down and notarize a thing saying that you are making repairs to the things that made the building condemed (i.e roof, plumbing, whatever) after a year you can buy it for mortgage price, or stay there for 7 years and own it. but it all has to be notarized stuff


Are there any other states that have this squat law of Adverse Possession?

Post edited by: punkkus, at: 2006/10/18 21:15


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## DegenerateElite

http://www.lawchek.com/resources/forms/que/advposs.htm

Cali Nevada and Arizona are looking tasty

::note:: in Cali you have to pay property tax which could be complicated as for one i wouldn't even know where to begin doing that.

Post edited by: DegenerateElite, at: 2006/10/19 08:28


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## Matt Derrick

http://www.squatter.org.uk/

the advisory service for squatters in the uk. sure, it's not for america, but you might be able to find some useful tips. they also publish a squatter's handbook. you also might try emailing them for links pertaining to squatting in the us.

http://squat.net/

squat!.net, another site located in the uk/europe. some news about squats and other information.

hope that helps!


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## pillarite7

Hey... I might be moving to Seattle. What is the general outlook on squatters and squatting? Ayone know the laws in Seattle? In philly there's a great squatting community. In Hawaii there isn't... In Colorado there wasn't... Anywhere else I just didn't stick arround long enough to find out..


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## picklehop

seattle is no good for squatting, theres barely anybody there during the winter, and during the summer theres still nothing really. The spanging is good, especially on broadway, in front of restaraunts you stand out there 2 minutes wth a sign and you get tons of college kids that wanna be bleeding heart activists and help the "poor homeless kids" i havent had any good results with getting change or money at all... but people give away bus transfers like candy so you can pretty much go anywhere in the area. unless you want to live in an area on the outskirts of downtown, in a gang infested neighborhood you aint gonna find many good squat possibilities. the camping however is phenominal. theres so many highways that overlap eachother theres almost endless places you can set up a camp under the over passes, tons of nooks and crannies where you could set up a tent and a spot out of sight, out of rain, out of wind. and its all right in the middle of downtown/capitol hill area. Hope that helps. i'm getting out of seattle soon so maybe when i get back i'll see ya there. i'd recomend waiting for spring untill coming to seattle, or else you're gonna be bored and lonely all day long... NO FUN.


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## Mich_O

Anyone have any clue about laws in Canada? Everwhere I try to research seems to be UK or Australia laws.


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## scottlikesapples

*Mich_O wrote:*


> Anyone have any clue about laws in Canada? Everwhere I try to research seems to be UK or Australia laws.



Its illegal and you'll be charged with trespassing.
Unless you can do it without being seen.
i've heard rumours of a law that if you occupy the building for 10 years it becomes yours...but you'll find it very hard to last the first 2 weeks let alone 10 years.


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## scottyfoothill

whilst visiting a dear uncle of mine many years ago in the fine state of north carolina we passed by many folks squatting on different pieces of land. not in already built houses, but just on land (trailers and whatnot). he told me this was legal and that if you lived on it for 7 years without the government needing to use it or something along those lines, then you could claim it and start paying property taxes on it. this was a number of years ago, so this may be outdated info and my young mind may have distorted some of the details, but it may be worth looking into. he lives in a small town in the smokey mountains, things may be a little different up there as opposed to the more populated areas.

-foothill


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## ralitookRascal

no your right. i'm currently squatting in The Triad,NC and the statute of limitations is 7 years. i've been trying to do some research and i'm not too sure on the details yet but i think you do need to go through the legal system if not at least pay land tax. as long as the owner doesn't challenge or give you permission to stay then apparently you can appropriate property thru adverse possession. try to learn more and get back


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## BoxcarBenji

*pillarite7 wrote:*


> Hey... I might be moving to Seattle. What is the general outlook on squatters and squatting? Ayone know the laws in Seattle? In philly there's a great squatting community. In Hawaii there isn't... In Colorado there wasn't... Anywhere else I just didn't stick arround long enough to find out..




squatting is pretty bad in seattle.

ever since the smithsonian got shut down things have been rediculous. There are some squatts near ballard and parts of freemont. But other than that, you're pretty limited. Ton's of places to camp out, lots of farm area in kent/auburn. Cops are pretty chill for the most part, accept for in the bellevue neighborhood. Panahndling doesn't get much accept for on the hill and maybe on some overpasses farther southbound on the I-5 corridor. Most 'squatts' in seattle are little street kids breakin into construction sites. It's pretty pathetic. Squatting in seattle isn't as good as the east coast. It is legal however, to sleep outside ANYWHERE in king county accept a select few residential properties after 9:00 PM. Also just to give you a tip, seattle has this new "TEN YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS" and all hotels and places of tourism have the MID [Metroplitan Improvement Disctrict] hand out flyers refering people not to give to the homeless. I come to seattle during the winter, and isn't that bad.


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## Bendixontherails

I know around here 7 years is the law. the problem is, of course, most sqatters don't stay in one place anything like that long. Proving shit is prettykey. definately start getting stuff mailed to you asap and get a driver's license with that addy. Here the seven years is key, and I was told, ( though I have no proof ) that if the owner KNOWS you are there and does nothing, then three years gets you enough rights to the property that they have to take you to court to get you evicted. I know two groups of kids here that have taken over property with the seven years of adverse possesion. they put it in all three of their names, and just made sure that one of them always really lived there, that way they weren't all tied down for the whole time. Just some thoughts.
ride safe, EYES UP!


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## Anarchist Embassy

i've been trying to look up stuff in canada before, but yeah it seems like it is all illegal to try to squat. When you talk about squat in canada it basically refers to either homesteading which occured a while back and is no longer legit. and then there is expanding the property you own. i have heard lots of success stories in nova scotia about people expanding their properties. And there was a draft dodger who died a few years back. There is a book about him. He found himself a piece of woods in Tatamagouche area and built a cabin. Everyone in the community knew him and respected him. But that was back in the day. People say in Nova scotia the law is 21 years and a day or somethin like that. But i am pretty sure it is just for expanding your legit land. although there is also Tax Auctions and Tax Sales. Not every place does it but in Cape Breton you can buy tons of acreage for 500 bucks or less. And the land here is beautiful with tons of fresh water springs. The only down side of the island and most of Canada are the black flies. and some mosquitoes but the flies are awful. they generally show up from late spring to late summer. Of course black flies are sparse whereever there is a good breeze and most of the coast on the island is windy. There are also tons of freedom camps that pop up in lower BC. In the winter Vancouver to vicotria is mild. Salt Spring island, East Van, and Victoria is pretty much the road most traveled. But there is tons of wilderness in Canada, just lots of hunters, ATVs, and random people going missing which results in police looking for them searching through the woods. Oh and forest fires in dry mountainous areas. I have heard of robin hood camps in back woods of sunshine coast.


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## katiehabits

in manitoba if you have heat and/or electricity they can't turn it off from like october to may or something like that cuz you could die without it.(don't quote me on this)


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## jonahxx

All those advises are definatelly good, i personally have more experience squatting in san francisco and new york city, in san francisco theres no too many abandoned anything more in the east bay oakland,berkeley, never been caught there, Thank God. in new york theres a bunch of abandoned buildings in brooklyn and queens. personally i been in the squat when it has been busted by cops but noone has gone to jail, 

a friend of mine was squatting in soho manhattan a really rich area of ny, he went to jail for that so i guess it depends of what part on new york your squatting

new york has a good history of squatters, some of the buildings that are abandoned are in a really bad condition from the inside as the owner made holes in the roof so it gets bad faster

also something that helps well sometimes is talk to the neighbors dress up like a regular clean average person and tell them about your plan, move in with abunch of furniture look really legit

oh yeah portland sux for squatting, i got arrested there while i was cleanin this beautiful house

i was gonna spend prob like a month in jail if it werent for that judge that was nice with me and let me go out on pretrial probation, i wasnt able to leave the state of oregon for like 2 months as they were postponin my court

so everybody b careful squatting there

new orleans has tons of squats, detroit, chicago, and i hear phylly too

good luck


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## Anarchist Embassy

Yep, about winter squatting. In canada it the way I hear it goes is that if you rent or somehow get someone to let you stay somewhere and you have proof like mail that says you live there then they can't kick you out in the winter, because it is inhumane, but when summer or warm spring comes you better pack your bags or pay up.


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## Anarchist Embassy

oh yeah, and i hear that in BC they just passed a law saying that people can sleep in parks, but i think the pigs are trying to defeat it because they dont think it makes sense. Homeless people are moving in especially in Victoria...building temporary dwellings and such. anyway the province or big cities of BC are going to do a massive clean up in 2010 for the olympics so watch out... and they have implemented a safe/clean streets act that makes poverty a crime. 

although, a new mayor has been elected in Vancouver. he is the owner of "happy planet" organic juice company. when i lived there they use to donate tons of juice to different groups and functions. i wonder what it is like in Van now.


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## katiehabits

Anarchist Embassy said:


> oh yeah, and i hear that in BC they just passed a law saying that people can sleep in parks, but i think the pigs are trying to defeat it because they dont think it makes sense. Homeless people are moving in especially in Victoria...building temporary dwellings and such. anyway the province or big cities of BC are going to do a massive clean up in 2010 for the olympics so watch out... and they have implemented a safe/clean streets act that makes poverty a crime.
> 
> although, a new mayor has been elected in Vancouver. he is the owner of "happy planet" organic juice company. when i lived there they use to donate tons of juice to different groups and functions. i wonder what it is like in Van now.





*Victoria allows homeless to sleep in parks*
Posted on October 16, 2008 by West Raven

New legislation could cause a domino effect across Canada, legalizing temporary shelters in public places
David G. Koch, The McGill Daily
“I’m sleeping in a tent-city tonight,” David Johnson declared in an email from Victoria, B.C.
Johnson, who is homeless, has been an outspoken opponent of by-laws that until Tuesday made it illegal for homeless people to set up “temporary abodes” in the city’s parks and other public spaces in Victoria.
The laws were struck down this week when the B.C. Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional.

In her ruling, Justice Carol Ross said the the bylaws violated section seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – which guarantees life, liberty, and security of the person, except “in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”

Ross noted that while there are more than 1,000 homeless people living in Victoria, there are less than 350 shelter beds.

“I have found that a significant number of people living in the City of Victoria have no choice but to sleep outside in the City’s parks or streets,” she wrote.

“The City’s Bylaws prohibit those homeless persons from erecting even the most rudimentary form of shelter to protect them from the elements.”

The ruling came after a lengthy court battle which began in October 2005, when police evicted Johnson and a group of at least 20 others from Cridge Park, near Victoria’s downtown, where they had set up camp.

Advocates for the homeless lauded the judgement.

“We’re happy with the ruling,” said Chris Aung-Thwin, coordinator for Homeless Nation, a non-profit organization that uses Internet tools to empower homeless people all over Canada.

Catherine Boies Parker, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said the ruling will affect the way cities write laws in the future.

“[This decision] means that when lawmakers are legislating, they have to take into account the impact of those laws on the people who live on the streets, the people who are really most vulnerable to the use of state power,” she said.

The ruling could also cause identical bylaws in other Canadian cities to be declared void, according to McGill law professor Armand de Mestral.

“Depending on the wording of bylaws in other municipalities, it could well have implications on their bylaws as well,” de Mestral explained.

But Victoria mayor Alan Lowe has already voiced opposition to the ruling. He believes the emergence of tent cities could compromise public safety, and open the door to crime and environmental degradation in the city’s parks.

“We have seen first hand the ill effects of tent cities,” Lowe said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“In 2005, at Cridge Park, we saw a tent city that became a hub of illegal activity, health concern, and vandalism.”

Lowe said the city may try to appeal the ruling, and shifted the problem of homelessness in Victoria to federal cuts on social spending and housing. He called on other levels of government to take action.

“Municipal governments were never in the business of providing housing and social support services to individuals in need,” Lowe said.

Filed under: Anti-poverty, Homelessness, activism, anarchy, local, tent city

http://bullsheet.wordpress.com

*the right to sleep on public land is only applicable in Victoria BC! but it should be all around the world. in Victoria it's only legal to have your tent up from the hours of 7PM to 7Am after that you get a 100 and some dollar ticket.....*


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## Miss Muriel

I think it's a good thing that homeless are allowed to sleep in parks in Victoria. I have the feeling that now more people are hanging around in parks than before, so maybe there has been a migration of homeless to Victoria. Also on the campus of Victoria university there seem to be homeless sleeping during the day. Why not, as long as they don't disturb anyone, it's okay for me. And I'm sure there are much more than 1,000 homeless in Victoria.


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## dirty_rotten_squatter

For the U.S, Arizona and Cali are your best bets. Especially cali its horrible out there I had a few friends family that owned homes just pick up and move to costa rica cuz they had family there and couldnt make it here any more. I think in some cases its 2 years in Arizona Im not sure though ive heard it from several different people but never looked into it much myself I prefer to hop around than to be stuck in one place for that long.


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