Anyone who is convinced of the truth of the statement “My home is my fortress” will be very surprised to learn that this is far from always the case. Remember the fairy tale about the fox and the hare, where the cunning cheat brazenly occupied the hut of his oblique friend? The tale is a lie, but a hint in it … Similar situations, when you leave your house for a couple of hours, you lose it for a long time, if not forever, sometimes it happens in real life.
Who are squatters?
Squatters are people who capture other people's premises (often vacant, but often populated) and master them under their own home, a night shelter, a place for various events, etc.
The main life principle of the squatter: "Why pay for housing, if you can get it for free?" Squatting has been a phenomenon for many years and even centuries, but it gained mass in the 20th century, becoming the result of revolutions, protests, wars, natural disasters and overpopulation of the planet. Squatting is most prevalent in countries where housing costs fabulous money, and laws do not impose severe penalties for the seizure of a house or apartment. Such an atmosphere favorable for the “propagation” of squatters has developed, in particular, in Great Britain.
Squatting History
Some historians claim that squatters are people who first made themselves known in the 14th century, after the peasant uprising of 1381 in England. Persons left as a result of pogroms without housing seized another's real estate and remained in it forever.
The case of the first squatters was continued by the diggers in the 17th century (during the English bourgeois revolution). They were also peasants, but they acted solely for ideological reasons, believing that the land could not be private property, but should be settled and cultivated by the communes. Diggers are called the ideologists of modern scotting, whose representatives are close to just such a lifestyle.
The heyday of the phenomenon occurred in the 60s of the 20th century, when wealthy people who owned several immovable objects rented them out for a lot of money, and all this against the backdrop of an acute shortage of housing. In the cities of Western Europe, many luxurious buildings were empty, and the army of the homeless was becoming more numerous.
Some political forces in Great Britain even called for legalizing squatting, allowing people without a roof over their heads to temporarily occupy non-residential premises, but these attempts were unsuccessful.
Often, squatting was ideological and political in nature, when opponents of the existing system created communes and even declared their independence.
Squatting in the UK: a story
As noted above, squatting is most common in the UK. This happened historically, and the legislative base of this country is ideal for those who want to occupy someone else's "hut."
London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and not everyone can afford to buy housing in it. At the same time, according to sociologists, only in the central part of the British capital there are more than eight thousand empty houses. There are about three and a half thousand in Westminister and about the same number on Bishop Avenue.
As for the last of these areas, it is something like Moscow Rublevka. On the street of billionaires are the most luxurious mansions, often empty. Often they belong to foreigners who visit their London apartments only occasionally, and such an orphaned room is a tidbit for squatters. Many houses on Bishop Avenue are occupied by representatives of this movement. And many owners know about it. Moreover, they do not interfere and are even glad that someone is watching over their property.
Law to help
So what is there in British law that makes squatters feel at home everywhere?
Firstly, from the time of the Middle Ages, local law enforcement officers have no right to break open doors with the aim of penetrating someone else’s home. And in 1977, this norm was reinforced by a new law, according to which the police can’t get into the premises if this is prevented by the one who is in it.
Secondly, in England and Wales (unlike Scotland and Ireland), until recently, an illegally occupied building was not considered a criminal offense, but was an object of civil law. That is, squatters could not be afraid of harsh punishment. And only now, after a series of high-profile cases, the situation has changed: you can get half a year in prison for self-capture.
Thirdly, it is customary to conclude lease agreements for premises in England both in writing and orally. Therefore, it is very difficult for the police to figure out if a person arbitrarily settled in a room or by agreement with the owner.
And fourthly, according to English law, it is possible to evict someone from the premises only through a court. And litigation can last a long time, and all this time the squatter will occupy someone else's house, and the owner will get in touch. And the longer a person has lived in a particular place, the more difficult it is to evict him. So, let’s say, after twelve years of living on the premises, the latter becomes the property of the person who occupied it, even if it’s illegal. As for the eviction, if the owner’s occupied housing is the only one, then you can do without a court - the police are authorized to expel the squatter. But often she does not rush with decisive action.
Who goes to squatters?
Many people think that squatters are exclusively asocial elements (drug addicts, alcoholics, homeless people). This opinion is erroneous. At all times, the squatter movement was literally teeming with representatives of the cultural and political elite: artists, writers, musicians, public figures, revolutionary politicians, and other progressive personalities whose lifestyle did not fit very well with the social framework. Although, of course, a certain percentage of asocial citizens among squatters is also available.
Typology of squatters
Hans Pret, a sociologist from the Netherlands, compiled a classification of squatters, dividing them into five types:
- Forced - people who have lost their own homes and therefore encroach on someone else's. Among the representatives are the working class, immigrants, former prisoners, homeless people, etc.
- Political squatters are subjects who, occupying premises (often state or municipal), by their actions are trying to draw public attention to a problem.
- The carriers of an independent housing strategy are citizens who believe that housing should not be empty when so many people need it, and this should become a state position. What they achieve by doing squatting.
- Socio-cultural squatters occupy premises in order to form any centers in them (spiritual, social, cultural).
- Conservation squatters occupy buildings in order to prevent demolition.
Fighting and helping squatters
In addition to legislative measures, other measures are being taken to combat squatters. So, for example, special companies are being created that look after empty buildings and rent them out at a low price. Among the main responsibilities of such firms is to protect the house or apartment from the penetration of squatters.
On the other hand, there are organizations that provide assistance to the latter. One of them even released Squatter's Pocket Guide, which tells how to find rooms and seize them.
Are there squatters in Russia
Squatting as a phenomenon proved itself in the vast expanses of the former Soviet Union. The first cases of the seizure of premises took place during the years of perestroika, when state control over all spheres of life weakened, the social sphere began to crumble and many buildings stood ownerless. Advanced youth moved into these non-residential premises, mastering former (often dilapidated) cultural houses, bathhouses, museums, libraries, kindergartens, etc., adapting them to artists' workshops or rehearsal halls of musical groups. But political and forced squatting in Russia and the CIS countries did not particularly take root.
The most famous squats are the Moscow “Kindergarten” and the center named after S. Petlyura, as well as the St. Petersburg squats on Pushkinskaya, 10, and Vladimirsky Prospekt.
