Party Vibe

This law has been changed in favour of the landowners (giving them an extra chance to object) in the Land Registration Act 2002.

http://www.prettys.co.uk/personal_law/property/adverse_possession2.shtml

There are occasional Bills from MPs (usually Tories) to get the criminal trespass law implemented in England as well but I’m not sure if they’ve got very far through Parliament.

I have wondered if this is perhaps because the opening of the English Parliament actually contains a symbolic representation of “squatting” – This is when the man wearing tights (called “Black Rod”) comes with the Queens Keys and they shut the door in his face – as if they mean to change the locks themselves and occupy the Parliament!

Sadly due to squatting being increasingly used to run crackhouses there has been a big backlash and clampdown recently.

if the owner lives locally and complains enough (particularly if it is a residential house) the cops (if they can get sufficient units) will often try to force squatters out ometimes be arresting them for abstracting electricity (if they have turned on the power or bridged the service fuse) (thus allowing the owner to retake the property)

They also do this particularly if they suspect the building is being partied they often treat it as suspicion of aggravated burglary, or can use anti-social behaviour legislation if a party or other noisy gathering is in full swing.

In the Thames Valley area, cops also would tip off the building owner and explain how to go to the civil courts and make a statement to civil court to aid with the eviction. Again this appears to be a new thing and a backlash against the “crackhouse squat” phenomenon.

In some city areas vigilanté “evictions”, harrasment and vandalism are not uncommon, not just by building owners but by other tenants/locals (even young teenagers) angry that someone is getting something for free!

dunno if this is a Southern thing because rents/prices are really high at the moment down here – although paradoxically in Reading and London it was often easier to squat a more “middle class” area than a “working class” area as there was less hassle from locals!

Another thing I forgot to mention is the potential risk of local dealers/criminals trying to bully people out of their squat if its in a “prime area” for dealing from or they just want to turn it into crackhouse/shooting gallery

check it out very carefully. Bear in mind that old people often end up being carted off to hospital or nursing homes at short notice, and also their nursing home fees may actually be being paid for “on the value” of the house (as a charge on the mortgage) – squatting it, particularly if any damage occurs, (or delaying a planned sale) is reducing that value and potentially putting extra stress on a family already in a bad situation.

Also with regard to neighbours there are plenty of people who believe so much in private property rights would literally see a house rot than let squatters take it even temporarily, especially due to the problems caused by addict squatters in some area.

A house in my old city was left like this because it was owned by an old family who still lived together but they didn’t get on with one another. The youngest son (in his mid 50s!!) was actually OK with squatters but his parents disagreed with the idea and would always call the Police and authorities to have them evicted. What I never understood is why they just didn’t let the son live in the other house (it was a huge place) and rent out the rest of the blocks, it was as if they were trying to punish him for his “feckless youth” by not letting him have it…

When we squatted in Reading there were usually 3 people in there

we had emergency plans up on the walls with security info and info about who you should and shouldn’t let in (we had some trouble with criminal/hooligan types), stuff to barricade doors with, and a radio scanner running constantly in a back room to listen to both feds and pubwatch (as then you knew when the local muppets were about and on the streets).

The amount of stress guarding this place actually drove one of the chaps in there to have a nervous breakdown (not through fear, he was a big bloke who could look after himself but the anger and violence consumed him to the point he turned on his friends).