Squatting - Setting Up Illegal Residences

What is squatting? It pertains to the act of illegally setting up residence in premises that you do not own or rent. It is prevalent in those areas where space is scarce, thus the need to take up occupancy in places where there is no owner who can drive you away.

According to statistics, there are as many as one billion people in the world living as squatters. Squatting is particularly common in poor, developing countries where slums are built and a community with interdependent relationships soon forms. At first, only makeshift housing is set up, seemingly temporary settlements, which are later rebuilt with a more permanent structure. Similarly, there may not be any running water or electricity in the area but eventually, illegal connections may be made and basic utilities become available for everyone in the neighborhood.

The Laws On Squatting

There is no country in the world, which does not regard squatting as a crime. It is often a conflict between the tenant and the real owner of the land, falling under the statutes of common law as stipulated under the rule of adverse possession.

Under this tenet, a squatter may be able to acquire property even without monetary right while coming in direct opposition with the true owner. There are three requirements under adverse possession whether it is physical, mental or temporal. This means that squatters will exclusively reside in the place for a fixed period of time, while reacting with hostility to attempts to displace them.

Squatters may face eviction if the owner demands that his property is cleared of illegal tenants. Historically, the law will favor the property owner over the squatters. However, recent attempts for eviction have resulted in the creation of new laws, which require property owners to provide monetary compensation for those will be displaced from their homes.

Squatting All Over the World

The living conditions of squatters from all over the world vary considerably. In Europe, squatting has created a social phenomenon. People often gather in squatter areas to meet other people and socialize. In fact, the squatter areas in Europe come fully equipped with bars and cafes, libraries and gyms where people convene and live day to day. On the other side of the world, more than half of the residents of Mumbai are squatters. They live in cramped areas, where grime and pollution accumulate and diseases are spread rapidly.

In the United States, squatters have been distinguished from homesteaders. Homesteaders are those people who have set up residence on unclaimed lands and thus enjoy rights that give them ownership to the land after a specified number of years.

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