Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or Building that the squatter does not own, rent, or otherwise have permission to use. Squatters often claim rights over the spaces they have squatted by virtue of occupation, rather than ownership; in this sense, squatting is similar to (and potentially a necessary condition of) Adverse possession, by which a possessor of Real property without title may eventually gain legal title to the real property.
Squatting has a long history, as old or older than the idea of property itself. To squat in many countries is in itself a Crime; in others it is only seen as a civil conflict between the owner and the occupants. Property law and the State have traditionally upheld the property owner. However, in many cases where squatters had De facto ownership, laws have been changed to legitimize their status. It is said that the United States Homestead Act is an example of such legislation. Additionally, states which have a shortage of housing tend to tolerate squatters in property awaiting redevelopment until the developer is ready to begin work; however, at that point the laws tend to be enforced.
In many of the world's poorer countries there are extensive slums or shanty towns, such as the favelas of Brazil, typically built on the edges of major cities and consisting almost entirely of self-constructed housing built on terrain seized and occupied illegally. Also common in many of these same countries are rural squatter movements such as (again taking a Brazilian example) the Landless Workers' Movement.
Besides places to live, squats are often socially interesting places, hosting give-away shops, Pirate radio stations, and even restaurants.
From 1824 there were acts and regulations to limit squatting. The limits of location also known as the Nineteen Counties were defined from 1826; beyond these limits land could not be taken up although squatters were farming there. From 1833 Commissioners of Crown Lands were appointed under the Encroachment Act to manage squatting. From 1836 legislation was passed to legalise squatting with grazing rights available for ten pounds per year. The 1847 Orders in Council devided land into settled, intermediate and unsettled areas, with pastoral leases of one, eight and 14 years for each category respectively. In Victoria, the 1860 Land Act allowed free selection of Crown land including that occupied by pastoral leases. Equivalent New South Wales legislation, the Crown Lands Allienation Act and Crown Lands Occupation Act was passed the following year. These acts ended the squatting era, but did not succeed in their intent to move Australia from a pastoral to agrarian economy.
It is known that many squatters fought battles with advanced European weapons against the local Indigenous Australian communities in the areas they occupied, though such battles were rarely investigated and modern historians dispute the number of Indigenous people killed in these skirmishes. Squatters were only occasionally prosecuted for killing Indigenous people. The first trial of white men accused of murdering Indigenous people was the trial following the Myall Creek massacre, in 1838, fifty years after the arrival of British colonists.
Whilst life was initially tough for the squatters, with their huge landholdings many of them became very wealthy and were often described as the "squattocracy". The descendants of these squatters often still own significant tracts of land in rural Australia, though most of the larger holdings have been broken up, or, in more isolated areas, have been sold to corporate interests.
Their iron grip on Australia's agricultural land was challenged in the 1860s with the passing of Selection Acts that allowed ex-miners from the 1850s Gold rush to claim areas of farmland at no cost. Whilst squatters tried tactics legal and illegal to discourage "the selectors" (for instance, taking out selections of their own which covered vital land such as watercourses) eventually closer settlement took place and smaller farms (though still huge by European and even U.S. standards) became the norm in the more fertile parts of Australia.
The power of the squatters, including their affinity with the police, is alluded to in "Waltzing Matilda", Australia's archetypal folksong.
Of late, the term's meaning in Australia has come to be the same as that of the English/Welsh usage.
The legal process of eviction can take a month or so giving the squatter time to find somewhere else to live. This is what happens when the property is owned by the council or a housing association. However, many squatters are familiar with the experience of having the land lord turn up with a handful of thugs armed with baseball bats.
In order to legally occupy a premises you need to have exclusive access to that property, ie. change the locks and keep the place secure like you would in a normal home. This is covered in a legal document known as Section 6, a copy of which is often displayed on the front door.
Some properties are still occupied by squatters who have resisted Eviction for 20 years. Squatters have a right to claim ownership of a dwelling after 12 years of having lived there if no one else claims it. St. Agnes Place has been squatted for 30 years.
To show that the occupier of the squatted building is in fact in physical possession of the property squatters often put up a section 6 notice or even multiple copies on different sides of the building. It shows that there are people living there and they they have a legal right to be there. To show that anyone—even the technical owner of the property—who tries to enter the building without permission is committing an offence.
Probably the handiest resource on British squatting can be found at the Advisory Service for Squatters, which can be found at
Squats used for living in can be divided into two types (although they are not absolutes). These are Back Window squats, (the most common type in which occupants sneak in and out of the building often with the intent of hiding the fact that they live there) and Front Door squats (where the occupants go in and out the front door like any other tenants would and are upfront with the fact that they live there). Many squats may start out as one or the other and then change over time. Frequently squatters will move in and then later assess how open they can be about their activities before they approach the neighbours, others will not move into a place until they have first met and discussed the idea with the neighbours. The difference between the two types can be signs of vast differences in philosophies of squatting and it's purpose, how long the occupants plans to be around, and on the atmosphere of the neighbourhood among many other factors.
This was not always the case, particularly in the era of westward expansion where the Federal government specifically recognized the rights of squatters. See, for example, the Pre-emption Act of 1841.