Squatters' Protest

[Doc Lynam]

Squatting doesn't work like that. If you went on holiday and found someone living in your home when you returned, it would most likely be break and entry as well as all sorts of other offences which you could get the criminal evicted & arrested for straight away. Squatters only used abandoned and unused properties, and provided they do not break in to enter the property it is perfectly legal.

Hat off to you, I couldn't be bothered to even reply to it.

 

[catfish]

I know people who have squatted in empty properties, have made improvements, paid utility bills & then moved out when ordered to by court order.

Unfortunately the knobheads who wantonly break in & damage properties & then f*** off ensure that everyone gets tarred with the same brush.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Lord Bassam was a squatter when he first moved to Brighton, I think?

No. He was a student when he first moved to Brighton. The Squatters' Union came later.

They took on Hoogstraten.

Brighton Squash Campaign

 

[Silent Bob]

Very much this, I don't think people would care as much if they didn't do such damage (Not all I know) and left when asked. It does annoy me when so many can't afford the flat they rent and have to move back in with parents etc and others just seem to not care and just break in somewhere.

Squatters aren't the reason people can't afford homes.

 

[Washie]

Why should there be unoccupied homes while so many people are homeless?

then why should people have to pay for their houses then if the homeless are getting them for free?

 

[Washie]

Why should some people be entitled to homes that they don't even use, when so many have no home at all?

But these people actually work, and have enough money to buy these second houses, that is why they are entitled to them

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Rather depends on what type of property is being squatted. If someone actually lives there, then I don't agree with taking over the property in general but there are around 279,000 long term empty properties in England (and a lot more shorter term empty ones) which is a far greater scandal IMO than a few people taking non-violent direct action.

Non violent...so breaking and entering is not a violent move...you'll say no of course....unless it's your house they break into...different matter then....I see empty cars everyday...do I have the right to break into them...they don't just go in them to occupy...they destroy the inside of the building,cover it with graffitti,steal belongings...just because it's empty...people have been out shopping and found their house taken over by freeloaders...just like the travellers...not gypspies...they are very clean...but just like travellers people would'nt mind so much if they cleared up their rubbish after them and had a genuine case of being homeless.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

So if someone has a second car, which is only occasionally used (like my nextdoor neighbour), im allowed to take it and use it as i havent got a car myself. They already have 1 car so im entitled to their 2nd then.

 

[Washie]

I can assure you many people who own second houses don't work, and many people who don't work can't work

The people who own third, fourth, and fifth houses and so on certainly don't work

It depends on what you think is fair I suppose

So if they don't work, how the f*** are they getting second houses?

 

[Drumstick]

Squatters aren't the reason people can't afford homes.

I'm not sure where I said they were. Just that it doesn't seem fair.

 

[Silent Bob]

I'm not sure where I said they were. Just that it doesn't seem fair.

Just seems a bit strange to to pit the two things against each other.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Plenty of room in, say, the old Co-Op building in London Road to house every homeless person and squatter in Brighton by cheaply converting it into one bedroom flats. Else it'll just lie empty and crumbling for twenty years like most of the unoccupied buildings in town.

 

[Washie]

Such is the divide between rich and poor in our society. If you had a million plus quid in your bank, would you work?

that is true, however, they are still using their money, so they can still be entitled to their second home, so it is still fair.

 

[Drumstick]

Just seems a bit strange to to pit the two things against each other.

I didn't I feel you may have miss understood. I just pointed out how it doesn't seem fair that some people that work hard but have to give up their rented flats as they cant afford it and have to move home again when others just seem to feel free to walk into any flat/house they like without paying a penny.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

So if they don't work, how the f*** are they getting second houses?

By renting out houses that they acquired at a significantly lower cost than the income they are getting from rent.

 

[Washie]

By renting out houses that they acquired at a significantly lower cost than the income they are getting from rent.

OK, this actually made alot of sense, but i didn't realise that this could happen.

 

[Silent Bob]

I didn't I feel you may have miss understood. I just pointed out how it doesn't seem fair that some people that work hard but have to give up their rented flats as they cant afford it and have to move home again when others just seem to feel free to walk into any flat/house they like without paying a penny.

I understand perfectly what you're saying, I just think it's misguided, to think that the problems with housing are a reason squatting is bad. For a start they are clearly related situations, and new anti-squatting laws will do nothing to help people who cannot get homes.

 

[BadFish]

Such a frenzy of indignation with no real grasp of the facts.

One story from the daily mail is an absurd citation for the ridiculous notion that squatters "are a cancer on local society". I would imagine that most people go their whole lives without coming into contact with squatters let alone in a negative way (I have met many and been to many good parties).

The person who cannot enjoy his holiday for fear of returning to a houseful of squatters is an interesting example of someone affected by this phenomenon though.

 

[Washie]

You have a strange idea of fairness if you believe that those who are born into wealth without working deserve a luxurious lifestyle while those who aren't don't even deserve a home.

I think this has opened my eyes a little bit more, okay, i realise that those who do not work do not deserve a luxurious lifestyle, I also see that i am a bit of a twat, and also tired,

 

[BadFish]

I think this has opened my eyes a little bit more, okay, i realise that those who do not work do not deserve a luxurious lifestyle, but you also have to ask why are these people homeless?

http://homelessresourcenetwork.org/causes.html


http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/housing/homelessness_2008.html#3

3. What are some of the causes of homelessness?

Just as there are many different ways in which a person can be affected by homelessness, there are many different causes of homelessness. Poverty and the inability to afford adequate housing are central to the causes of homelessness. These circumstances may result from a number of different experiences, including long-term or short-term unemployment, debt and other financial pressures, and housing market pressures, such as rising rental and house prices and the lack of public housing.

Financial difficulty is often accompanied by other personal or family problems, such as family breakdown, domestic violence, poor physical and mental health, substance and other addictions. The inability to cope with combinations of these problems can push individuals and families even closer to the edge.

Even before a person becomes homeless, they may be living at the margins of the society, with few connections to family and the community. Social isolation can mean that they lack the necessary support to assist them through periods of stress and help them manage ongoing problems.