Adverse possession - Countries - Fastest and Easiest countries to get ownership

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Hello, I am looking for information about "adverse possession" or squatting rights around the world.
I would like to squat something and own it after 1 or 2 year, is this possible?, I acknowledge that this is not something easy and probably I would not be able to find something like that in the center of NYC of course.

My basic plan (draft) is:

1. Move to a country where it is very easy and fast to get ownership of a property after squatting. The best scenario would be a country with a depopulation problem where nobody care.
Latvia or a eastern European country would be probably the best option.
2. Find a place to squat with no owner.
3. Check information about the place online, in public institutions, physically in the place, chat with people around, etc.
4. Put some hiding cameras around, inside the place, etc to detect if there is some kind of activity.
5. Put some things from myself there.
6. Register myself in the goverment.
7. Move.
8. Get ownership of the property after 1 or 2 years.
9. Live there and maybe set up a business like a hostel.

I am aware this is a very complicated matter and not something easy to do, but I am willing to make an effort. I am in contact with the "squatting movement" because I have lived in Squatted places and have friends that have squatted, but never squat something by myself.

If you know other forums about squatting or other topics that can help me let me know, even if they are not in a language I speak.

I am a european citizen with a european passport, so European Union will be the best for me because no visa problem, if the country is not in eu probably I will not go. I can speak some languages: English and Spanish fluently, learning Russian at the uni, some Lithuanian and some Swedish. I am a person who have travel a lot and I know how to deal with cultures, bureaucracy, etc

The most important thing is to own the property fast.


Thanks so much for your help, whatever you can help or not I appreciate your time.
If this post get some attention I would regularly update so we can keep the topic active.
 

ali

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I recommend looking at Wikipedia as a starting point. From an initial search it seems like Europe isn't really the best place to squat if you are hoping to one day claim legal ownership of the property. Several countries in Europe have made squatting illegal in my lifetime, which sucks because people like my aunt squatted in the Netherlands as a student and it wasn't seen as a disreputable existence in her days at all. Alas, lots of famous squats have been evicted in the last couple decades, in both western and eastern Europe. I get the sense squatting nowadays is more overtly political and not really done as a realistic path to property ownership.

To be honest, if all you care about is owning property and you do not care where it is, then you might be better off living in a temporary squat or on the streets, getting a job, saving every penny you earn, and then buying property in a remote or abandoned area. There are plenty of those around. It will probably end up being faster and less hassle than trying to go adverse possession route many years later, assuming you're in a country that even allows it.

I hope you already know about squat.net ([Squat!net] - https://en.squat.net/) and their various hosted sites. This might help you get in touch with people who are active in the scene.
 

DDDDDuane

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Joined
Nov 5, 2023
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USA
Hello, I am looking for information about "adverse possession" or squatting rights around the world.
I would like to squat something and own it after 1 or 2 year, is this possible?, I acknowledge that this is not something easy and probably I would not be able to find something like that in the center of NYC of course.

My basic plan (draft) is:

1. Move to a country where it is very easy and fast to get ownership of a property after squatting. The best scenario would be a country with a depopulation problem where nobody care.
Latvia or a eastern European country would be probably the best option.
2. Find a place to squat with no owner.
3. Check information about the place online, in public institutions, physically in the place, chat with people around, etc.
4. Put some hiding cameras around, inside the place, etc to detect if there is some kind of activity.
5. Put some things from myself there.
6. Register myself in the goverment.
7. Move.
8. Get ownership of the property after 1 or 2 years.
9. Live there and maybe set up a business like a hostel.

I am aware this is a very complicated matter and not something easy to do, but I am willing to make an effort. I am in contact with the "squatting movement" because I have lived in Squatted places and have friends that have squatted, but never squat something by myself.

If you know other forums about squatting or other topics that can help me let me know, even if they are not in a language I speak.

I am a european citizen with a european passport, so European Union will be the best for me because no visa problem, if the country is not in eu probably I will not go. I can speak some languages: English and Spanish fluently, learning Russian at the uni, some Lithuanian and some Swedish. I am a person who have travel a lot and I know how to deal with cultures, bureaucracy, etc

The most important thing is to own the property fast.

Thanks so much for your help, whatever you can help or not I appreciate your time.
If this post get some attention I would regularly update so we can keep the topic active.

I read an article a few years back that the Italian government was giving away or (or almost free) houses in what are basically residential ghost towns...That is all I remember... but it's a lead... In the USA AP takes longer than 2 years...See the PDF I posted here...
 

bote

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Baie des Chaleurs
It depends what your goal is and what type of cultural experience you are after. If you are only talking about europe/north america and a high level of developped social structures and pervasive technology, then squatting makes sense. But if you just want some space to call your own and build a life or project on, it might be easier to buy land very cheaply in latin america or some parts of asia. Again, I guess it depends on your ideology, but in some countries squatting seems like a much more complicated and possibly even more expensive way of living.
 
Last edited:

SuperFluous

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Try Detroit or Baltimore those cities are in decline and have many abandoned properties, saw a headline about Baltimore selling properties for $1 the other day (didn't read it, wish I would have now) be prepared if you go to either of those places though.
 

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