# legal squatting halp!



## trystero (May 15, 2013)

Some of us opened up a place about a week ago, changed the locks, and got electricity in our name. We've been doing a lot of fixing up and the neighbors (who think we're renting) are happy to see us there--one even lent us his ladder to take the city's boards off the windows.

Today a friend who loves nearby called and said cops were at the place and even came knocking on his door. A while later, city workers showed up to board the place up.

Is locks and electricity in my name enough to make me a legal tenant, even if the place doesn't have water yet?

Will re-entering be sketch as fuck? (We have a lot of tools in there, stuff with our names on it.)

As far as I know, only the landlord can do something about it. Move on to the next house or keep at this one?

Thanks!


----------



## ByronMc (May 15, 2013)

If you go back in and get caught,they may arrest you.


----------



## LeftCoast (May 15, 2013)

What city and state are you in?


----------



## MisterGraves (May 16, 2013)

depending on where you are, they can place you under arrest for anything from tresspassing to burgulry


----------



## trystero (May 16, 2013)

milwaukee. some people involved seemed pretty sure proving utilities were in my name would be enough.

should i call up the city and be like 'what the fuck i'm supposed to be moving in?' and show them a bill?


----------



## Deleted member 125 (May 16, 2013)

trystero said:


> milwaukee. some people involved seemed pretty sure proving utilities were in my name would be enough.
> 
> should i call up the city and be like 'what the fuck i'm supposed to be moving in?' and show them a bill?


 
it couldnt hurt...although doing this would open up a whole new can of worms if the cops got involved again.

if you are caught breaking into a boarded up house, i would assume youd be charged with breaking and entering of maybe burglary depending on how the owner of the place (if there is one) feels maybe even more. having electricity or a bill in yer name may help yer case if you wanted to get technical and try to take the city or owner to trial over housing. 

if like you said the neighbors were nice to you ide suggest asking them if they called the cops on you. if thats not the case then what most likely happend is the owner or someone who knows the owner went by the place, noticed it had been broke into and called cops. upon getting there depending on if you had shades on the windows or anything like that, they may of looked inside to see tools and signs of living and figured somebody broke in and slept a night or two in the house. in my experience looking for squatters usually isnt the first thing on cops minds when they enter a "abandoned" building, its usually somebody called because of noise and knowing nobody technically lives there assumed it was being robbed or a crack head was getting high inside and looking for change or metal to scrap.


----------



## MisterGraves (May 16, 2013)

you can always get on the google and find a premade lease and print it out, a little paperwork camn be a real pain in the ass to the machiene


----------



## Matt Derrick (May 16, 2013)

trystero said:


> milwaukee. some people involved seemed pretty sure proving utilities were in my name would be enough.
> 
> should i call up the city and be like 'what the fuck i'm supposed to be moving in?' and show them a bill?



http://blogsquats.blogspot.com

This blog is for the San Francisco area, but should be helpful. 

Unfortunately, the fact that the cops and city showed up to put things back as they were means it's probably a poor choice of a building to squat. 

I say this because I've been in the same position before in my younger days of squatting. It's obviously being watched, so I would just break back in get your stuff and find a new one.


----------



## Matt Derrick (May 16, 2013)

MisterGraves said:


> you can always get on the google and find a premade lease and print it out, a little paperwork camn be a real pain in the ass to the machiene



Yes, office supply stores have generic lease agreement forms that are great for a lot of things, but this is not one of them. Your document is going to be scrutinized in court and those signatures definitely will not hold up.


----------



## MisterGraves (May 16, 2013)

It doesn't have to hold up, it just has to get your foot in the door, then you do everything to make it legal. you are right though, if the cops/city closed back up, I would vet my shit and try somewherr else.


----------



## Matt Derrick (May 16, 2013)

MisterGraves said:


> It doesn't have to hold up, it just has to get your foot in the door, then you do everything to make it legal. you are right though, if the cops/city closed back up, I would vet my shit and try somewherr else.



If by "foot in the door" you mean with the neighbors, then perhaps, but I don't think it's ever really a good idea to lie like that to the people you want to turn into allies to your cause. 

If you mean with the cops, courts, or anyone else in any kind of authority, then it's a very bad idea. Remember, forgery is a crime, and it won't take long for them to see through your ruse.


----------



## MisterGraves (May 16, 2013)

no, I mean utilities and the like, here you need a lease to hook them up.


----------



## MisterGraves (May 16, 2013)

we needed papperwork in norcal to start that.whole thing too. PG&E is a bitch.


----------



## Matt Derrick (May 16, 2013)

MisterGraves said:


> no, I mean utilities and the like, here you need a lease to hook them up.



Ahhh... Gotcha, I was thinking something much different.


----------



## Deleted member 125 (May 17, 2013)

to be perfectly painfully honest with you, i would not persue a "legal" squat in the US these days, not to sound bitter but the days of c squat being sold for a dollar, and iggy scam floridian days are all buy gone imo.(and i could be a hell of alot of wrong, and i sure do hope i am)

if you want to set up a semi permanent squat, stop asking strangers on the internet about it and keep it local. and best of luck, i really do mean that in the best way. but that sort of thing doesnt seem to last to long when we all know loose lips sink ships. be local, find LEGAL ways to get legal (theres alot of ass backwards ways after periods of time if thats a option) if you really want to do something like this. but for this sort of thing yer looking at alot of work, years even, just to get on a "legal" level. if you want free rent for a while its easy and doesnt need to be outlined here. but if you are interested in long term property "owning" without paying rent its going to be a fight, and no offense, most people wouldnt bother to do that.


----------



## trystero (May 21, 2013)

leaning more towards living in a place where the only bills are utilities and where it's a civil issue (the landlord kicking us out) and not a legal one.

i know adverse possession doesn't happen anymore, but i know people in other cities have pulled stuff off lasting years. looking more for the type of place you live in until you get the eviction notice from the court, then moving on to the next house.

it was a neighbor we hadn't talked to. moving on and starting over.


----------



## trystero (May 23, 2013)

successfully re-appropriated our tools and such. coppers took the effort to break the handles and deadbolts on all the doors so going to have to buy a new set for the next house.

thanks for the advice. wish us luck.


----------



## Matt Derrick (May 24, 2013)

trystero said:


> successfully re-appropriated our tools and such. coppers took the effort to break the handles and deadbolts on all the doors so going to have to buy a new set for the next house.
> 
> thanks for the advice. wish us luck.



Good luck my friends and keep us posted on your future actions


----------



## eske silver (Jun 24, 2013)

For anyone in a similar situation,
I once opened a low key house in Oakland with two friends. After the notices started, we managed to keep our situation stable for another six months by playing victim to a "craigslist renter". Having internet and pg&e in our names, and having a (printed out) lease agreement and "rent receipts" Really helped.
We weren't too worried about it since, for various reasons, most of weren't interested in being there (in the state) for more than a year, anyways.
It ended up lasting a total of eight months.
Having paperwork and playing dumb, albeit kind of a shitty way to do it, can sometimes be the best option.
But for sure, next you go to, talk to Ever neighbor. & imo, as soon as it's presentable, invite them all to a yard party


----------



## Phaeton (Dec 28, 2014)

I realized this is over a year old.


----------



## Harmonica Bruce (Dec 28, 2014)

In Detroit you can buy a house for $100, or so they say.
http://www.businessinsider.com/cheap-detroit-homes-2011-6#a-quaint-two-bedroom-on-liberal-st-7
So why not just do it legally? It's easier, cheaper, safer, and more legal than breaking into someone's house and claiming it as your own.


----------

