Cleveland Real Estate News

The whole idea of someone living in your home without your approval is foreign to most of us in the United States. I know I had squatters in my Maryland condo back in the 90s — 20% of me was amused; mostly I was just pissed off.

But in Britain, squatting is not a novelty, it’s been a tradition. According to an article in today’s Washington Post, it began in it’s modern form in 1968, egged on by a London activist. Kevin Sullivan’s article on the revival of squatting in today’s Britain is fascinating in it’s explanation of the history of squatting, and the interviews with both homeowners, legal types and squatters. Check it out.

If there were thousands of vacant homes in London, as there are here, would they be sitting unoccupied for long,  or would someone wind up squatting in them?

We have (according to the classes I took regarding real estate law) a policy similar to this, mostly used when someone owns acreage. Usually in the form of farmland, but not always. If you wind up building a property on the outskirts of land that doesn’t belong to you, after a period of time, it becomes yours by default.

It’s also true with what we call easements. Sometimes a group of school kids would use a path on a piece of privately owned property, to get to and from school. If a case can be made that the easement for school trekking is useful and has gone on long enough without complaint, it can become a permanent use, changing the nature of the land someone owns.  I’m being vague, because I have a feeling these laws vary from state to state.  Here is what the Post article says about squatting in Britain:

No one knows exactly how many squatters there are across Britain, but estimates range from 4,000 to 15,000 or more. Most are evicted in a matter of days or weeks, but some occupy properties for years. If they last 10 years, the law allows them to petition a court for ownership.

In one celebrated recent case, a judge awarded a $3.5 million piece of land in the Hampstead Heath park in North London to a 70-year-old man who had lived in a shack there for 21 years.

Fascinating, no? If you’ve ever been as fascinated as I am with squatting, read the Kevin Miller article.  Peace out – 3C