Should Squatters have rights? Poll Results/Discussion

Louf_2

Unfortunately, as with most things in life we should not and cannot generalise.
I have met plenty of squatters in my life and they were all brilliant. Each person had a differnet story to tell and a lot of them even had jobs. In areas of Berlin, it has been possible for squatters to come to agreements with the local authorities and owners with regards to the properties that they are in. In these agreements, the authorities and the owners of the buildings have given the squatters the right to squat in certain buildings as long as they A. Keep it clean and undamaged. B. Pay a certain amount of "rent" which will be put directly back into the property and C. Give the building a public purpose e.g putting on gigs or creating art galleries.
As far as I could see, this worked exceptionally well and the people of Berlin were generally very happy with this. However, as I said before, we cannot generalise and I realise that this would not necessarily work in this country as we are a tad too cautious and are seriously lacking in any kind of artistic flair. Oh, and also, we appear to be more concerned about charging people for their rubbish than creating space for people to live and express themselves. However, that is an entirely different matter and I will not go into that now.
In conclusion and drawing on points that other people have made....Squatters are human beings like you and I, yes, a lot of them may take advantage of the situation, but a lot don't and almost always just need a roof over their heads. If a property is abandoned and left to rot by human beings, then why not let fellow human beings live there and make use of the building?! It is rare that a property is destroyed by squatters, that is often just general vandals and theives who more often than not have homes and some form of income!
If you don't want squatters in your building for whatever reason, then do something about it, rent it out, create cheap housing so that these people still have somewhere to go or at the very least, just utilise the property which you have brought and are probably still paying for.
And finally, comments such as “no chance, they should go out and get a job.
lazy,smelly, druggie gits.” are not only slightly naieve, but are extremely ignorant. If our country was run by people who could only think inside the box like this then, quite frankly, we would be screwed!!!!

juniper1

Quote from Louf:
If you don't want squatters in your building for whatever reason, then do something about it, rent it out, create cheap housing so that these people still have somewhere to go or at the very least, just utilise the property which you have brought and are probably still paying for.



What about people who go away on holiday and come back to find squatters in their home? You are the one generalising Louf.

As far as I see it, its black & white. If someone owns something, another person has no right to use it unless they ask to do so. It is a form of stealing and for that reason they should be punished. I had no comeback against the people who 'stole' my house for 11 days. In fact they cost me £5000 of my hard earned money. They just walked out of my house and into another.

As far as 'these people' are concerned, why should some people think that they are above the law of the land and feel that they don't need to conform. If we all felt like that where would the country be?

If the ones that you have met had jobs and were earning money, then shame on them. They could have rented a room or lodged with someone else. I'm glad I wasn't their employer.

I have been lucky enough to never have to ask for a penny in my life but everything I have done is from my own hard work. When we were first married we were very poor but if we couldn't afford something, we didn't have it.

speedtwin

Louf wrote: »

It is rare that a property is destroyed by squatters, that is often just general vandals and theives who more often than not have homes and some form of income!
If you don't want squatters in your building for whatever reason, then do something about it, rent it out,
And finally, comments such as “no chance, they should go out and get a job.
lazy,smelly, druggie gits.” are not only slightly naieve, but are extremely ignorant. !

It may be rare there that a property is destroyed by squatters but i bet there had never been one without some cost falling on the owner.

you saying "if you dont want squatters rent it out" Are you saying squatters never go in property that are inbetween tenants or up for sale due to a death. that is the most daft comment i've heard.

In a past life i knew a lot of squatters and nearly all took some form of drug all the time or just now and again. Most were all able boded and there was no reason not to work and some bloody did smell.

You must live in cookoo land are you sure you are not taking some of those drugs the squatters are not taking.

Kernow_Kid

Try living in Corwall!
For a while we had one of the highest unemployment figures in the UK, we are still at the bottom of the earning figures, but the house prices are second only to Kensington and Chelsea.
Too many people are coming down and buying 2nd homes for their holidays in Cornwall, only staying a couple of weeks a year.
This has driven many locals out of their villages because they cannot afford the huge rents, or the huge costs of buying a house.
The average factory worker gets about £15,000 a year here, but a small, cheap 2 bedroomed house in a reasonable area will set you back £135,000 - 9 times what they earn.
One of my friends used to live in Padstow until what is locally known as the Stein Effect (after the chef Rick Stein), took place.
Once his tv show took off and he opened his restaurant there, the richer people from up country started buying 2nd homes.
The cheapest 2 bed terraced houses now fetch from £250 - £350,000! 16- 23 times a factory workers wage.
The locals could never afford this.
The same has happened all over Cornwall, especially Falmouth and St Ives.
Add to this the massive influx of foreign workers, which is keeping the wages down and the rents high.
My old 2 bed house is now worth £140,000, and rents for £700 per month, and when you take home £900 per month that doesn't leave much for a family to live on.

There is a massive housing shortage now in Cornwall, and its made worse by squatters.
I had some in my house when I moved in with my girlfriend. I decidede to rent it out for a year to get some cash to buy a bigger place for us.
In the 3 day gap between one tennant leaving and the new ones due to move in (when I was going to decorate), some 5 squatters moved in and trashed the place.
They then informed me of their "rights", and made sure at least one of them was in the house at all times, preventing me from entering and changing the locks.
In the end we came to an agreement and they left - I wouldn't have their legs broken and they wouldn't stay!
In the month they were there they broke or ruined all the doors, toilet, water heater, washing machine, carpets, cupboard doors, etc, etc, etc.
It cost me over £2500 to put right, made a couple and their baby find emergency accomodation because they couldn't move in, and my Insurance wouldn't pay out because "they hadn't broke in, so they had rights".
In the end, the squatters moved 5 doors down the road and took over an elderly man's house while he was in hospital for an operation.

While I appreciate that some houses are empty for years, I can never condone people moving in without permission. The heartache it caused us made me sell the property. I'll never let myself go through that again.

Squatters are SCUM! Get a job like the rest of us and at least TRY to live an honest life.

frag_2

Louf wrote: »

in your building for whatever reason, then do something about it, rent it out, create cheap housing so that these people still have somewhere to go or at the very least, just utilise the property which you have brought and are probably still paying for.

Louf you are the type of person that has destroyed our once great country.

I'll do what I bloody well like with my own property! I too have never had a hand out in my life, never inherited anything. I have worked since leaving school.

They should have no rights whatsoever. Stick them in jail (no tv or playstation) if they need accomodation that much that they need to steal.

Irrespective of what laws protect them, there is always a way to exact vengance upon them. I for one would not butt an eyelid. Only problem is the NHS is stretched as it is without having to put these people back together.

By the way if there are any Airborne Brothers that need a hand evicting give me a shout!

mapcr77

Louf wrote: »

Squatters are human beings like you and I, yes, a lot of them may take advantage of the situation, but a lot don't and almost always just need a roof over their heads.

I too need a roof over my head... which is why I've worked since the age of 16, have had really rough times trying to make ends meet, skipping meals was necessary every now and then (one or two days at a time was not uncommon, as the rent was always my priority), but made it through uni, and now i'm heavily mortgaged, but happy and proud of where i am.

There is NO excuse for what, as a lot of people have mentioned already, is nothing more than theft. Squatters are criminals.

guppy

Kernow_Kid wrote: »

Try living in Corwall!
For a while we had one of the highest unemployment figures in the UK, we are still at the bottom of the earning figures, but the house prices are second only to Kensington and Chelsea.
Too many people are coming down and buying 2nd homes for their holidays in Cornwall, only staying a couple of weeks a year.
This has driven many locals out of their villages because they cannot afford the huge rents, or the huge costs of buying a house.

Sorry to hear about your nightmare with squatters...why didn't they just take over one of those empty holiday homes? A bit of squatting there might ease the housing shortage...

jago25_98

The rights as too in favour of squatters and too against landlords.

However, to anyone who votes yes to `No squatters rights` I hope you get repossessed and have to walk by these abandoned investment buildings all the time.

When I invest in property I will consider it a duty to use it, or face the consequences.

Entrust your unused property to someone who needs it today.

"I'll do what I bloody well like with my own property! I too have never had a hand out in my life, never inherited anything. I have worked since leaving school." tell the queen that

chunkymunky_3

i have worked my fingers till they bled for the past ten years to raise the money to buy a second property and am now working my fingers till they bleed to get it fixed up, this property is my pension and ive worked damn hard for it, give me one reason why i should give it up to a free loader who cant be bothered to get a job! and dont tell me there are no jobs out there, in the past ive done streetcleaning, fruit picking and several other jobs noone else wanted! id do anything not to claim dole and be a sponger, and everyday in the jobcentre i heard "im not doing that" a really desperate person will do anything and not resort to theft (and thats what squatting is) coz its easy

speedtwin

come On Louf Defend Your Earlier Comments

or Have Your Come To Your Senses And Realised You Were Talking Garbage?????????????????