On one of my summer walks I found an abandoned house with the front door unlocked. Naturally I walked right in to find a beautiful, spacious home with nothing inside except for flyers, a few for sale signs in the basement and 3 large leather sofas.
I came back a month later to see everything in exactly the same shape.

Im thinking of making this place my new hangout. I brought air fresheners and some sheets to cover the couchs. Im gonna put up some posters and even lock the doors If i can figure out how from the outside.

a) How illegal is this?

b) What else should I know?

Stop by for a beer sometime.

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Them are some pretty nice couches.

It depends on the state/country. Some countries welcome squatters and protect them form evictions during the winter. But in your case it's probably just trespassing. as long as you do not destroy anything, or cause any damage to anything you should be okay. If you're found, they'll probably just kick you out and try to charge you for the mess that was already there when you moved in. Hell, clean the whole place up. Maybe they'll even thank you.

A few friends and I actually helped clean up a house that a homeless man was living in. We were going to make it our own hang-out spot and had already started cleaning when the guy walked in on us. At first he thought we worked for the county and were preparing the place for demolition, but we cleared that up pretty quickly and took him out to the Burger King down the street. After a while, he was more than happy to let us take over some of the house as long as we gave him his own room (and, of course, let him use the rest of them as well). I bought him a padlock to help protect his stuff, too.

Long story short: it might be helpful if you find a place with a permanent resident. They're already prepared to face whatever consequences might come about, so you won't have to deal with it yourself.

You can actually become the owner of this property if you do it right.

http://money.howst....com/squatting.htm

http://realestate....a-squatters-rights

http://definitions.../squatters-rights/

http://www.wikihow...Abandoned-Property

http://real-estate...squater-rights.htm

I don't know, there's just so many ways this could go, some are pretty bad. I'd pass on it, especially at night. MHO.

If you do, a lock is good, but be sure to set up a few "tell-tales" to give you some warning if someone is coming in.

Posted by Radical_Ed You can actually become the owner of this property if you do it right. http://money.howst....com/squatting.htm http://realestate....a-squatters-rights http://definitions.../squatters-rights/ http://www.wikihow...Abandoned-Property http://real-estate...squater-rights.htm

I wouldnt mind becoming the owner.
In Ontario where I live, the law goes like this

In a decision dated September 24, 2013, Judge Eva Frank ruled and confirmed the rules for claiming title by possession:

1. There must be actual possession for the statutory period, in this case, ten years, by themselves or those through whom they claim;
2. Such possession was with the intention of excluding from possession the owner or persons entitled to possession; and
3. Discontinuance of possession for the statutory period by the owner and all others, if any entitled to possession.

im not planning on sticking around for ten years.

I wonder, how does one prove they've been there for the required amount of time..?

Posted by relik I wonder, how does one prove they've been there for the required amount of time..?

Show them the receipt. ;)

Posted by johnnycanuck Show them the receipt. ;)

No, i'm serious. I have a couple buddies who have been squatting in a vacant house for several years now, and there seems to be no one showing any ownership of the place. It's kind of a shit-hole, but it works well enough for them.

It probably works with neighbors. Someone that can vouch for you that you have been living there in the past 10 years or so.

Posted by Radical_Ed You can actually become the owner of this property if you do it right. http://money.howst....com/squatting.htm http://realestate....a-squatters-rights http://definitions.../squatters-rights/ http://www.wikihow...Abandoned-Property http://real-estate...squater-rights.htm

I was going to quote that Wikihow article. It explains the situation perfectly.

Basically though it comes down to making friends with the neighbors, making the place presentable and hoping that the owner won't check up on the place. It definitely can be done.

I remember reading about squatters in London houses that lived there for years and won ownership. The average person who wants a place to hang out at isn't going to stay the necessary length of time though.

Posted by relik I wonder, how does one prove they've been there for the required amount of time..?

utility bills.

Posted by propaganda utility bills.

how does one get utilities legitimately connected if they cannot prove that they are the owner?

Posted by unlighted-zero how does one get utilities legitimately connected if they cannot prove that they are the owner?

all it takes is a call to the electric company. have you ever had the utilities in your name at a residence? you don't need to own a property to have the utilities turned on. as long as you pay the bills the lights will stay on.