The Law That Lets You Legally Steal Houses

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Episode written by Adam Chase
Music by Epidemic Sound

[@halfasinteresting]

Gimme those topic suggestions here so I can spend more time researching outdated memes: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMAoo9CfGxr5OvZdz3qCCEkeQSVJpak3YYTHQFLRwXOyTOXA/viewform If I use your suggestion, I'll send you a free HAI t-shirt

[@MinePlayersPE]

-first-

[@georgeceuca8994]

Why you gotta do my mans the crj like that

[@AMDXplusplus]

Outdated memes are 2000s tech. 1980s is cassette age, 1990s is CD age, 2000s is iTunes age, and 2010s is RADIO AGE!!! LOL

[@ramirotorres7191]

It's fine though I have a firm stance against pickles too

[@georgeceuca8994]

@@ramirotorres7191 agreed

[@rheenusthebeanus4559]

In court: *Tresspasser:* "I own your house now, I've been there for 5 years now" *Me:* "But I have a welcome mat." *Judge:* "Oh shit he has a point."

[@danielauen7790]

Aah, but I have a receipt for that welcome mat.

[@YG-os5uu]

Daniel Auen 😂

[@thepip3599]

But welcome mats leave you susceptible to vampire attacks.

[@bantikat4890]

Now I really want to buy a welcome mat lol

[@firedup692]

But I came from the back entrance. No mat there

[@ctoacu6188]

This is the "If the teacher dosent show up for 15 minutes we can leave" argument in the world of house ownership.

[@nathanfortier9559]

it is just a litel bit longuer

[@CraftingTableMC]

LOL

[@Optim40]

Mmm, that would be the actual opposite of that.

[@1993Delicious]

More like, if the teacher doesn't show up, you now inherit their job

[@deidrabrey4043]

More like you get 12 statements from students saying the teacher hasn't been there all semester and take over the classroom. And lock her out.

[@walterbrown8694]

There is generally an important caveat in Adverse Possession cases - The adverse possession must be uncontested during the period of possession.

[@MmeHyraelle]

I believe he mentionned it.

[@wesleytillman9774]

Thanks for emphasizing that point. The law works for people who take care of their property.

[@Helladamnleet]

Counter point: If the actual property owner tries to make the squatter leave there's a chance that property owner will have to reimburse the squatter for all repairs and taxes paid on the property, so say as a squatter you paid $8,000/year for 4 years, plus did another $18,000 worth of repairs, the actual owner may be faced with shelling out $50k PLUS legal fees for a property they didn't even care about for several years.

[@JamieTransNyc]

Open, Notorious, Uninterrupted, and Uncontested.

[@abdirahmanidris290]

@@Helladamnleet thats unfair unless the squatter was given permission

[@karnickel-s33d16]

This reminds me of the story of how my uncle got his house for free. My uncle had taken out a loan to get the house, but he couldn't pay the loan, because he had more important things to spend money on like heroin. So the bank decided to take the house, since it was bought with their money. However, my uncle had left the house in such a state of disrepair that the bank decided to let my uncle keep the house and write it off as charity.

[@martiandoritos777yt3]

Holy shit, this better be real XD

[@gentleasa5728]

I need a home badly, Er but not that badly!

[@richardarriaga6271]

A bank would only do that if the tax write off for depreciation was worth more than the damaged property itself.

[@chriss9809]

@@richardarriaga6271 Very likely if it was a mobile home without the land that the trailer sits on top of.

[@giovannicorraliza4393]

@@martiandoritos777yt3 please dont say holy like that

[@someoneinparticular6458]

"Put a welcome sign so nobody could claim it" Simple spell but quite unbreakable

[@benjaminlynch9958]

Could the squatters not just take down the sign and claim that it wasn’t there when they showed up? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@latishacroissant2238]

Benjamin Lynch If you’ve ever had guests over to the property before you would have witnesses and people usually take pictures of their rentals beforehand so you’d have more proof.

[@LorcTheBest]

but then you allow the vampires to enter it too

[@masondipperpines5009]

Remove the mat

[@Artyshell53]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@leaderofthelewishpeople6382]

House: Exists. Squatter: Hippity hoppity, this land is now my property!

[@punnequraq]

Real creative. It’s totally not like you stole this comment.

[@saoirsedeltufo7436]

I’ve never seen you outside of the Yogscast KZbin comments

[@samcavanagh7993]

WHAPOON!

[@benkogenko]

Greetings, fellow yognaught

[@1973Washu]

@@punnequraq This is my comment now

[@alphainfinitum3445]

I own 4 and a half acres of land in a wooded area of Florence, South Carolina. But as most of you know, I usually travel to Jamaica twice a year. When covid came in 2020, I was in Jamaica, then the borders were closed and I ended up staying in Jamaica for a full year. When I came back to the states, I decided to pay a visit to my property and to my greatest surprise, I saw that some one had built a hiking trail and cultivated crops on it. I followed the trail and saw a small camper parked up the hill on the property. I decided to go check it out. While I was heading there, I saw another guy who was hiking, and I asked him if he was from around, and said yes. I asked him how long he had lived in the area, and he said for about a year. I asked him if he knew the place well enough to show me around, and he said he knew it well, but that at the moment, he just wanted to play it by the ear. I asked him what that meant, and he asked me to hike with him a bit while we talked. He told me that he gets up in the morning, sits outside of his camper to watch the sunrise while drinking a glass or two of beer, and smoking some grass. Then he works on the garden till midday, by which time he goes back into the camper for his afternoon nap. He gets up later in the day and cleans around, then goes for a hike. He returns from the hike and sits in front of the camper to watch the sunset, with a glass or two of beer while playing it by the ear all along. At this point I felt like I was being violated and I told him that the property was mine, and that he needed to pack up and leave immediately. He asked if he could give me a little money so that he could stay till his crops mature, that way he doesn't lose his harvest. Long story short, we are in 2022, and he is still on the land, but that's because I let him stay and take care of the land while I was away. I made him sign a document that clearly stated why he was there. I have not had any issues with him since.

[@adog3129]

why would we know that you travel to jamaica twice a year

[@alphainfinitum3445]

@@adog3129 it's just because many people in Jamaica know me very well. I am an advocate for healthy living. I believe that the earth has given us all what we need to succeed in this life. We only need to listen to the ground. Last year I ate baked grass freshly harvested from the side of the back country road after it had enjoyed some wavy breeze from cars going fast on that road. If you don't believe me, just drive behind another fast car on a road that has grass on its side. Observe how the breeze from that car causes a wavy pattern on the grass. At that point it's up to you to tap into that wonder of nature and enjoy it while it's freshly baked and straight from the oven.

[@SuitedGhost]

@@alphainfinitum3445 Most people haven't been to Jamaica, and forgive me if I'm wrong, as I'm assuming, but you don't advertise your random youtube to people?

[@StoicRageTV]

@@adog3129inflated ego lol he has one follower. Nobody knows you on here my guy! Lol

[@nemonada3501]

Adverse possession doesn't work in Australia anymore, those laws have been patched up by other laws. I think it was just last year a police officer over here was sent to jail for running an adverse possession racket to bolster her own portfolio.

[@Sir_toaster]

Hmm I heard it's the same in areas of Canada I have a feeling the Chinese are the common feature in this reversal of adverse possession

[@MaLiArtworks186]

So after Australia stole an entire country from the poor Aboriginals, they stopped other thieves from stealing the stolen property from them, the original thieves?!!!

[@nemonada3501]

@@MaLiArtworks186 Yes. Once the rich had everything they wanted and control of the majority of property in the country they locked everyone else out of it.

[@MaLiArtworks186]

@@nemonada3501 Exactly!

[@3rdalbum]

Adverse possession does indeed work in Australia and there have been recent cases involving laneways and such, where the squatter has won the case. The police officer abused her power and her information access in order to find vacant properties to target. She tried to claim squatters rights by putting paying tenants into those properties before she had title, which isn't how Adverse Possession works. She actively tried to hide her activities from the rightful owners so Adverse Possession wouldn't have worked for her. And finally, she was a police officer trespassing on private property without a lawful reason. As a public officer she abused her position and engaged in corruption and didn't even do Adverse Possession correctly, and that's why she was jailed.

[@ryant2568]

This actually happened to my Father-in-law in Uraguay. when he came over here to Australia he allowed his brother to live in his house back in Uraguay rent-free since the value of the property at the time was insignificant. Fast forward 30 years and he is now retired and decided to sell the house back in Uraguay only for his brother to claim possession stating that he has acted as the owner of the property for the last 30 years. My Father-in-law eventually won but he did have to go back to Uraguay to fight the case in person.

[@navinchouhan255]

If your father in law home was in India his grand children will go to court and still judgement will not came

[@pauloshea3741]

My ex brother did something similar to me!

[@cashconnolly1877]

I mean, wouldn't it not apply as they did allow them to live there, "he allowed his brother to live in his house"

[@ryant2568]

@@cashconnolly1877 Every country has slightly different laws on this but the gist of it is that if someone is living in a property rent-free they are not considered a tenant. If they have been living there for long enough, paying for the upkeep of the property ect.... they can claim that they have a right to ownership.

[@tuanngnt]

People from other countries always think that the one lived in USA are rich so they think they have the right to own the house.

[@dersps5905]

Man, does that work in Monopoly?

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Der SPS How do you avoid rolling the dice and having to move at least one stop each time?

[@TheMcstevester]

Can finally say I own a real prison!

[@KappaChiino]

200 iq

[@turtlelizard1531]

@@TheMcstevester dangit, you stole my punchline lol

[@turtlelizard1531]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 Lemme spell it out... I-T I-S A J-O-K-E

[@brickbot2.038]

Neighbor: *Takes care of half my yard for eight years* Me: *Strolling over to my neighbor mowing* "Good morning, nice day out!" Neighbor: "Great, now I have to start all over again!"

[@c1bav]

if someone did that to my house he would go missing quickly

[@isaiahwilson3564]

I'm scared

[@kinglex2805]

Lmaoooo 😂😂😭😭😭

[@majkrryqi5016]

What if you get a gun and protect your property that i legal.

[@douglasmueller4684]

I totally agree .

[@Jc34759]

@Comrade NB youre the problem.

[@justaregulartoaster]

How you can legally steal a house ...by trespassing, which is a crime

[@r_streit9527]

Because you made it clear and apparent that you were trespassing. If for 5 years, the owner would have been able to tell you were trespassing and didn’t do anything about it, just think about it. 5 years of abandonment.... I think if someone abandons one of their properties for 5 years and is able to tell someone is trespassing on it for 5 YEARS, yet for some odd reason never tries to get said trespasser to vacate the premises, I think it’s safe to say they probably don’t want it. There are obviously going to be exceptions. I’d imagine such exceptions to be incarceration, hospitalization, institutionalization. Anything that would prevent the original owner from being able to tell if someone is trespassing on the lot or not, would nullify adverse possession. Obviously if you file a lawsuit to remove said squatter, or you are asking them to leave the premises, or you return and use the house as the homeowner would, and it would nullify adverse possession. Given the circumstances, at least in my opinion, it seems fair.

[@justaregulartoaster]

@@r_streit9527, you're completely right. I was just making fun of the title of the video.

[@photios4779]

@@r_streit9527 Yeah, I would imagine the exceptions due to incarceration, hospitalization, institutionalization are very rare. If someone is confined for so long they have no knowledge of what is happening on their property, either a family member will manage the property on their behalf (and keep out potential squatters) or they will abandon it to such an extent that they will no longer pay their property tax or mortgage. So it's far more likely that the local tax authority or the mortgage holder will gain possession through foreclosure than a squatter through adverse possession. It seems to me that adverse possession probably would mostly affect large corporations that own a lot of land and are unable or unwilling to manage it all. For example, when the 2008 financial crisis hit, some foreclosed homes were so run down the bank didn't even bother trying to sell them, but basically just abandoned those properties. If an impoverished homeless squatter moved in to a derelict house and made that his home, there would be a fairness question if the bank were to try to evict him a decade later.

[@olstar18]

@Picolas CageIs that the $16 house story.

[@deontaetrott5752]

r_streit twitch still my fucking property that i bought though

[@swoovey]

"What do you do for a living?" HAI: *I teach kids how to steal houses on KZbin*

[@kshitijsharma759]

*legally

[@dontidentify8645]

Yes legally

[@gerryatrick]

It may be regarded as legal, but morally it's wrong and still theft. But thieves will always be thieves. Corrupt people always look for a way to steal other things people have paid for.

[@dariusel8713]

@@gerryatrick then guess america as a whole should be charged with theft right?

[@gerryatrick]

@@dariusel8713 Well yes, if they are thieves, maybe they should be. Start at the top with the president and his corrupt thieving buddies in government, and work your way down. You know if you take a pen or paper clip from work without the owner's permission, you're a thief.

[@ckl9390]

This is why estate managers exist. To do the rounds of properties once every few months and take note of any signs of occupation or potential damage. If someone wants to be generous they can offer a $1 lease renewable annually upon owner's discretion. Then the occupants are tenants and not squatters. Something that is quite common locally is for people to offer someone the task of "land manager" in exchange for tenancy. Which both excludes others from squatting and firmly classifies them as tenants. Not sure if this only counts for the "house" or the whole property, which in some jurisdictions are treated as separate entities. In which case the owner of the property can demand that the house and it's occupants (new owners) is removed, which is a prohibitively expensive endeavour in and of itself. I'm fairly sure that some jurisdictions require a fair attempt to notify the owner of your occupation. Such as when you file with the court the owner then has to be found and notified by the court, at which point they can file an eviction notice. If they can't be found, then the house is treated as an unowned asset or something like that. Also, I wonder if this can be used to settle indigenous land claims. If the government or no one of settler descent wants to use the land then an indigenous governmental organisation could try to occupy it and claim it back. Then again, with out record of how we treated indigenous people, it's likely that we would ignore even our own law and forcibly evict them.

[@miaunicorn8654]

Im going to go steal an entire mountain now, thanks✌ Edit: Arizona is only 2 years, that makes it so much easier

[@relogiodeprata6413]

9 months already, keep going!

[@Amit_Pirate]

Hey

[@Amit_Pirate]

Are you successful?

[@miaunicorn8654]

I cant steal it just yet, its still under my grandfathers name who lives there, once he dies and it goes to my brother(who doesnt care for it) I will steal my mountain

[@thetableofelements4472]

@@miaunicorn8654 update us XD

[@crabbiethecrab7393]

“When stealing is legal, go for it!” *Picture of Wall Street in the background*

[@johnc916]

Crabbie The Crab lmao

[@inferno7997]

There's so many legal robbery in wall street actually

[@JohnyScissors]

Yes that is indeed the joke

[@JohnyScissors]

@@William0271 I mean come on. They're not exactly incentivized to not rip people off

[@crabbiethecrab7393]

@@William0271 have you heard of a joke?

[@shunyat9023]

Wendover Production: Detailed analysis of the logistics of ISS. Half as Interesting: hey uh so did u know that u can steal other ppl houses without getting caught

[@ChristopherTurcotte]

So how long would someone need to occupy the ISS before it becomes theirs? Asking for a friend

[@sirrhynus4280]

@@ChristopherTurcotte I would say about half a year to a year. I've you managed to not starve in that period of time then congratulations, the ISS is yours.

[@turtle-balloon]

Read that as logistics of ISIS

[@Mr8lacklp]

Actually you basically have to get caught, jsut not by the owner.

[@kelvinpang438]

While you have to do it without getting caught by the owner.

[@Pasonia]

Just realised that the guy shifted every word in "mending the fences, taking out the trash, mowing/weeding the lawn, watering the hedges" and added windows just to confuse everyone.

[@MrPauljowett]

Finally, now I can start my own business, all I need is 5 years and the courage to live in that abandoned factory in the city.

[@cristinagusatu6323]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@CoffeeSuccubus]

Germany: -squats on Poland- Poland: hey dats illega- Germany: ADVERSE POSSESSION

[@squeakersthegryphon5338]

Now imagine that million Polish immigrants are across globe... Oh shit. I for once welcome our Polish masters.

[@Kludgzenjammer]

@@squeakersthegryphon5338 Welcome to Chicago my friend!

[@troodon1096]

@@Kludgzenjammer Fun fact: Chicago has more residents of Polish descent than in any city in Poland except for Warsaw.

[@petersmythe6462]

Not exclusive (Poles claimed it and Soviets occupied part of the east.

[@harrisoncarpenter1038]

Hey Zats illegal!

[@exdeegaming4872]

Someone: commits adverse possession Wait, that's *legal!*

[@Datch18]

Ex Dee Gaming or rather “my lord, is that legal”

[@CaptainM792]

The Senate: I will make it legal!

[@vanukas8783]

Ex Dee Gaming this comment is bugged for me

[@triplej755]

This is *legal* you know.

[@RealNovgorod]

Wait, I thought that's property tax.

[@WhoBobWhatPants]

time to steal buckingham palace

[@DrYeet2704]

Oh nice! Now I can legally invade that massive mansion with an abandoned nuclear silo that is just at the end of my street. I’ve always wanted a nuclear silo or bunker.

[@ShakeItLittleTina]

“Reading the trash” Also known as browsing Twitter

[@andymadden8183]

Or most of the Internet in general.

[@P0tato6132]

or instagram

[@newspacia]

*discord

[@theboyinthegasmask4851]

*tumblr

[@gracefinn1670]

I think you misspelled tumblr

[@Baxiel]

>But when stealing is legal... >wall st sign 10/10

[@rccola6779]

In Panamá they're an entire town named Casco Viejo full of squatters where the owners usually just buy them a house someplace else.

[@EllieCollie]

This should always be legal, I see abandoned buildings all the time where I live and nobody’s coming there.

[@miraclek4656]

where you live??? Let's make some money!

[@jakesoros2376]

​@Nick Gerz Forget that, if someone wants to own a house to rent to hunters or use as a summer house, that's fine. At least they're using the house unlike these Chinese who buy up condominiums in America, NZ, Britain, and Canada just to secure their money from inflation in China without even living there.

[@retardalpha813]

1. Find mansion 2. Find owner(s) 3. Challenge them to live anywhere else for however long you need (Prize of course) 4. Live in their mansion, and tell everyone, but in a joking way 5. They haven’t entered the mansion in years while you have and cannot claim they didn’t know 6. You own the mansion 7. Sell mansion 8. Use money to cover legal costs and pay the original owners their prize

[@minepose98]

So you spent all the money you gained, now what

[@hououinkyouma77]

minepose98 whoosh

[@NoelFallstrom]

What wasn't explained in the video is what happens when there is still a mortgage. The original owner wouldn't want to continue making payments and the bank would do their best to get the home as that was the security part of the secured loan. Perhaps it only works when things are owned out right... And if you pull this off can the city come after you for 2+ years of back taxes?

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Noel Fallstrom Paying those taxes would be part of "acting as if you owned the place".

[@cleandiverge]

STONKS

[@simulping4371]

So that means.. if a homeless man has been living in an abandoned house for years no one has bought yet.. *I T S A F R E E R E A L E S T A T E*

[@the72ndalexandrian]

Rafie_ArsyadYT that’s kinda the point

[@ghostbirdofprey]

Pretty much, but if nobody has bought it yet, it puts the value of the property into question anyway, though someone trying to actively sell it would probably drop by once and a while. But, again, if nobody cares about it, the value becomes questionable.

[@aceofspades1217]

He also can’t be hiding. He needs to put up a no trespassing sign or a maintain the fence.

[@Robertperezshow]

I was told recently by a lawyer that what this video says no longer works.

[@simulping4371]

@@Robertperezshow thats a bummer

[@jeehoichan8043]

I like how smoothly he moves to the sponsor

[@Damntima]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how they slid in that advertisement 😭

[@jayskies6016]

💯

[@HarshRajAlwaysfree]

Why own a house when u can claim a whole city ? Hint : Chernobyl

[@Abdega]

5 headed squatters: *IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE*

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Harsh Raj Always free Unfortunately there is some official monitoring. But given the collapse of the USSR and it's ban on land ownership during the early part of the exclusion period, the few returned Pripyat inhabitants may or may not have claims, though the Ukraine probably has very specific laws for the exclusion zone, or maybe not given that it's an inherited problem from before their first real independence in centuries (obviously not counting pseudo-independence during German occupation in WW2).

[@disloyal]

Hundreds of people still live in Chernobyl (it is Pripyat that is abandoned, not Chernobyl) and most continue to work at or around the decommissioned Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant site.

[@allalevona3980]

Start your own race of nation at it

[@zeqi]

And when you realise that this law only applies to the US. Hint: Chernobyl isn't in the US and it also is my owned by anyone but the government so yeah

[@Danymok]

It's 3:00 am. The perfect time to watch this video!

[@jimmysavile69]

EY BRUV

[@Perririri]

Normie

[@GigieLBSXclusive]

Is 3 am 1 yr later and I happen to watch this for the first time

[@shawntw1556]

I just checked the clock and I am offended by how accurate this is

[@Xander_DeWitt]

I disagree! 4:30am is much better!!

[@jillianmcallister1012]

I actually support this. In my neighborhood there were many houses abandoned by the banks after foreclosure and people moved in, fixed up the property and made it into a home and improved the neighborhood in comparison to before, when there were run down abandoned buildings on every block.

[@vickyandersen8660]

I’m ok with people talking from banks but not other regular people

[@sambobenjamin1660]

Shut the fuck up. Stealing shouldn't be condoned no matter the recipient

[@3rdalbum]

Trespass for 8 years, pretending to be the owner before being discovered: Criminal. Trespass for 9 years pretending to be the owner before being discovered: Legal. The law is wonderfully weird.

[@matthewharris4966]

You might want to mention the case in the USA when someone won a Vacant Possession in court after a lengthy legal battle. The very next day the original owner went to the house and blew new owners head out with a shot gun. His only words were " I'm dying of cancer, you arn't getting my kids inheritance property and know this, I'll get the health care i cannot afford in jail too."

[@robellyosief8820]

matthew harris damn where’d you hear that? Sounds wild!!

[@WraithLK]

This is one of those “only in America” comments

[@camposjorge9126]

Where can I read more about it?

[@Shadow79XXX]

blah blah blah america everything about america where people are as proven by this comment and everything else as reterds

[@splashpit]

Did he say that before or after he blew his head off ?

[@p11111]

This isn't completely crazy. It's about implicitly relinquishing your property by abandonment.

[@Exarian]

That and it can be a great counter to Absentee Ownership of a property if laws surrounding it were to have more teeth. ESPECIALLY if it's combined with Right of First Refusal. A large part of the housing shortage in some cities is people buying up property not to use it or rent it out, but because they believe the land values under the property will increase in time and be able to be quickly sold for a profit. If you have people living in those properties, that asset becomes far less liquid as tenancy laws kick in and you cant just evict the people living there because you wanna sell it. So the upshot is, quite literally, homelessness spiking in the same place that has plenty of empty, unused residential properties, because those properties are now treated as a commodity instead of, like, homes.

[@jasonpeng5798]

Yeah, but let's assume you're selling a multi-million dollar home. You can't get it to sell for 5 years, then somebody just takes it after you paid millions for it That's kinda fucked up.

[@jasonpeng5798]

@@Exarian homes are property. you have to pay for it and work for it. It's not the frontier anymore. Homelessness is not a home owners problem, and one family moving into somebody else's home isn't gonna solve anything.

[@guy_5108]

@@jasonpeng5798 but its the problem of the state which does actually does own the land you live on. There is a limited amount of space and for it be bought without being used especially in crowded urban areas is a waste of space of resources that could be used to house people and stimulate the economy . You can't use shares in a practical way unlike houses. If you buy gold it won't cause any problems to not use it and if it did you would probably forced to sell it or have laws to incentivise using it. It's not like it's an easy process to do anyway and to not have this happen to you just rent out the house or visit the house once in the time frame which is really simple.

[@hedgehog3180]

@@jasonpeng5798 Okay so in this scenario the owner of this multi-million dollar home hasn't done any maintenance whatsoever in the last 5 years? Because if that's the case then that house quickly stops being multi-million dollar and becomes unsalable instead. In that situation the owner is just sitting on a piece of land that is probably quite valuable and it will never be used for any actually practical purpose, it would be better in that case that someone else takes it over and then repairs it. And I mean it's only fair that the person who repairs the house sees some sort of return on their investment and for society as a whole it's better too to not have an abandoned house sitting around.

[@hotpick1101]

Some states also require you to pay property tax on it for a certain amount of time before it’s yours.

[@nannettefreeman7331]

I (a resident of California, one of those States) was going to say this. Having said that, I actually KNOW someone who took a house this way. I also know someone who moved into, made improvements to, & paid the property tax for his deceased grandmother's house for 4 years before his uncle, executing the will of the old lady which stated the property should be sold & the profits divided amongst her children, up & sold the property to the business next door, who promptly bulldozed it & turned it into a parking lot. It's a risky undertaking. It can go either way. And finding a property where you can get by with all of this for a number of years, is no easy task.

[@lilacdoe7945]

I know an easier way. Step 1) start a real estate development company, don't worry, just having the LLC will be good enough Step 2) go to city council with a brilliant idea that will enrich the community if you could only build it here (point at map somewhere that is lower-middle class or poorer) Step 3) be granted with the power of imminent domain and force the vagrants out of their home for pennies on the dollar Step 4) don't build anything and sell the now re-zoned commercial lots for profit Step 5) buy yourself a house with your legally stolen money and sleep well at night knowing you "enriched the community"

[@michellelynnwright5366]

Very good point! No controversy since it goes the other way. It is legal & will hurt actual people while claiming it helps. Who cares about that, about actual people anyway?

[@samjordan8800]

A real estate lawyer told me decades ago how to easily and inexpensively beat a squatter out of winning any adverse possession claim - without hiring an attorney! He said if someone is on your property and trying to get it under adverse possession laws all you have to do is write them a letter giving them permission to stay there and have them served with a copy of the letter. It's the complete opposite of going to court and fighting yet removes that "hostile" and "without permission" first hurdle required for them to win.

[@torgranael]

Even more fun, you don't have to make sure they receive the letter. Just make sure you have a paper trail that says it was sent, then never actually send the letter, and you're good to go. I'm not even kidding. There have been real estate companies in Australia who would forge the dates on eviction notices, to circumvent the mandatory notice period for years before getting caught. There rumors that this still occurs, but not a lot of proof. By the time it's legally proven, it doesn't really matter as the former tenant is long gone.

[@Snapmare_]

**Swiper sees the law** _Swiper steals the entire neighborhood_

[@mosesracal6758]

*SWIPER NO S W I P I N G*

[@nettart4924]

Swiper no swiping Swiper no swiping SWIPER NO SWIPING SWIPER NO SWIPING SWIPER NO SWIPING SWIPER NO SWIPING *SWIPER NO SWIPING* *SWIPER NO SWIPING*

[@mickryan2450]

No good doing it to me i have this chainsaw fetish at all hrs

[@kateallen7675]

It can also be used when you're in the right! I bought my cabin on land contract, I paid it off and did the paper work. 30 years later I go to sell it and they can't find land contract sign off, realtor gone, original owner dead. I had to file adverse possession to clear title.

[@leejones3155]

Our neighbor passed away about 15 years ago and their children are fighting over ownership of the house. So nobody has lived there since. Well a few months ago we noticed some people clearing the house and we went to talk to them. Well apparently someone paid a cleaning crew to clear the house so they could move in. And they didn't have permission from anyone. The cops were called by the children and the cleaning crew didn't know the name of who paid them because they were paid in cash in advance. So nobody was charged. Also the electricity, the water and gas were illegally connected. A few months later the cops were called again because someone was squatting in the house, they were not charged for that. The cops said because there was not a "no trespassing" sign they couldn't do anything about it. They were just asked to leave.

[@TheNinjaDC]

For those confused by the wit: In adverse possession countries, land/property rights work like trademarks. As in, you need to use them and defend them, or you lose them. In both cases, the idea is to prevent waste and rights hording.

[@AnimMouse]

That makes sense.

[@blackcow1111]

yeah the only right squatters have is the right to get shot. anyone enters my property and tries to squat ill kill them, their family and their dog, black bag em and feed em to the pigs. as anyone should do to anyone who tries this bullshit

[@safeforwork8546]

@@blackcow1111 it looks like you are trying to....honestly I don't even know I can't give help

[@blackcow1111]

@@safeforwork8546 looks like im trying to advocate for the murder of every squatter, yes. Thats exactly what im trying to do. Squatters deserve to be 6ft under. Who thinks someone can just steal your livlihood away for any reason...yeah a 7 cent bullet is gonna put an end to that

[@angolin9352]

@@blackcow1111 Either you completely missed the point or you're a really unfunny troll. Nobody can just move in for 2 weeks into a furnished home and claim adverse possession. In most US states, you have to file papers with the county and then live there for 15-25 years. All without the owner coming back and seeing that their land is occupied, because all it takes is an eviction notice and the squatter's plot is foiled. If someone never visits their land in two decades, without making provisions for their absence, they absolutely don't need it and probably won't notice that it's even gone.

[@devinrr]

HAI: *releases this video* Squatters: It's free real estate!* *Terms and Conditions apply

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

3:08 taking out the lawn and weeding the trash 😂😂

[@zuko1569]

Time to gather forces of homeless people and invade the rich neighbourhood _sounds like a Clash of Clans rip-off_

[@neeneko]

People are actually doing this. After the foreclosure mess of 2008, people have been selling 'packets' on how to claim all the unoccupied multimilliondollar homes floating around. it generally does not work.

[@zuko1569]

@@neeneko Wow, that sounds really wild.

[@neptune4358]

This is the plot of Insurgent

[@neeneko]

@@zuko1569 After people figured out they could profit off suggesting it to other people without doing anything technically illegal themselves, it really took off. though fake leases (i.e. someone renting a home to someone even though the landlord does not own it) are still the more common form.

[@neeneko]

@Cambing Roadgeek club! Yep, there is that mechanic too.

[@bbgun061]

I think these laws were intended for when someone died (or moved West) and left a house behind. Not so much for today. Although if a property owner really doesn't come home in five years or more, they don't really need that house.

[@hackman669]

That would make perfect sense. Also someone or group taking over an abandoned, unused, house or building would not be a big deal. Say for instance there was an unused shack in a desert property. The place is abandoned and in the middle of nowhere. The person then upgrades the shack that would otherwise turn to dust.

[@son_guhun]

Damn, this idea to have the same key for all your locks and not needing to carry a keychain is genius.

[@ajam4u]

First, that is an ad for Dash Lane. Second, that's not what the ad said. It asks the question, why would you use a single key for all your houses.

[@son_guhun]

@@ajam4u The joke is: my answer to the question of "why use the same password (key) for all your accounts (houses)?" is that using a single key would actually be genius, because I would not need a keychain (Dashlane). Of course, this is a silly idea, and that is where the humor comes from. It's also funny because many people do use the same password for everything, and comparing that to the real world shows how absurd it is.

[@son_guhun]

@@ajam4u I.e. instead of changing my mind about using a password manager, the ad made me change the way I use my IRL keys instead, to mirror the way I would treat my passwords (a much less secure method). The joke being that I drew the exact opposite of the intended conclusion from the ad. Of course, now that I had to explain it, it's automatically not funny anymore. Bummer.

[@TheBugkillah]

No comments on paying taxes. If I’m the owner of record and paying taxes, I’m the owner. If I quit paying taxes, within two years the local government takes possession and sells the property for taxes. If adverse possession takes years to happen, wouldn’t the person paying the taxes own it?

[@NaenaeGaming]

0:30 WOHA WOAH WHAT! HOW DARE YOU BE AGAINST THE CRJ 200! ITS LIKE MY 27TH FAVOURITE AIRCRAFT

[@aquariiace8442]

Naenae Gaming 27th???

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

LoL

[@CustardInc]

The only reason anyone uses it is because of the scope clause, change my mind

[@Crankiebox99]

Naenae Gaming lmao that’s my 109th favorite

[@davidhood9712]

Devil's Chariot.

[@cecar77]

I got halfway through this video and remembered *SHIT* I need to water my window

[@jenniferoviawe]

1:17 lol

[@haroldhenderson2824]

The problem with item #2 (Maintaining the property) Pay the property taxes IN YOUR NAME, not the "owner of record"! You don't own your grandparents house, if they are still the "owners of record". Even if they died 20 years ago. It MUST go thru probate court! Ask me how I know this!

[@JadeyCatgirl99]

Trespasser: "I claim adverse possession." Homeowner: "I am okay with him being on my land for one-second out of every year" Judge: "Sorry, no hostility"

[@arandombard1197]

Except that doesn't make any sense. Future permission is irrelevant once adverse possession has been claimed.

[@scarleteyes4418]

@@arandombard1197 do you know what a joke is?

[@arandombard1197]

@@scarleteyes4418 Yes. It was just a shitty joke that didn't make any sense.

[@scarleteyes4418]

@@arandombard1197 Nah, you are just unfunny

[@arandombard1197]

@@scarleteyes4418 Except I never said any jokes. This was just a shitty joke. Be honest, did you laugh when you read it? Like actually laughing out loud and think to yourself "god damn, that was fucking hilarious. How do these random commenters come up with such funny material"

[@coteleacarlo7574]

Me: Kidnapps neighbour Also me: It's free real estate

[@comic215]

UNDERRATED

[@joenuts1709]

Also u, are a furry

[@Lou_Snuts]

There is one more element applied in modern U.S. jurisdictions, as well as non-U.S. countreis. Specifically, as part of the process that the "adverse possessor" must prove in a "quiet title" action (the name of the legal process to give title to the adverse possessor), is that the person claiming title through adverse POSSESSION MUST ALSO HAVE PAID THE PROPERTY TAXES. The act of paying property taxes demonstrates ownership.

[@dchall8]

I used to work in the county appraisal district office in a rural county in Texas. We saw adverse possession at least once a year. It turns out back in the 1920s, land developers put together plots of land about the size of a generous tent camping site, say 25 feet by 100 feet, and sold those plots to Yankees wishing to build a retirement home in Texas. These neighborhoods numbered at least 10,000 individual lots in many counties. As the Yankee retirement influx failed to materialize, and as children and grandchildren inheritors failed to follow up, the abandoned lots have been picked up for free by adjacent neighbors. Our county judge would ask all the neighbors if any of them objected to the adverse possession. If anyone did he game everyone a chance to come to terms before approving the deal. Once the judge approves it, the new owner had 100% clear title with no recourse for anyone to try and reclaim it. In two counties I know of entire ranches are comprised of these abandoned lots.

[@zackeeu]

Came for the click bait...stayed for the legitimately interesting content. Nice job!

[@leaderofthelewishpeople6382]

Owner: I own this property. Adverse Possession Law: I'm about to end this man's whole career.

[@kaidatong1704]

I don’t get it. Why “whole man’s career”?

[@toodsf1]

*man’s whole career

[@toodsf1]

Kaida Tong Ain’t my comment bruh

[@kaidatong1704]

Alexander how did you know it wasn’t part of the joke en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Fifths_Compromise

[@DiThi]

If someone owned a property and didn't use it for years, they _deserved_ that. That owner was the actual _squatter_ by not using a perfectly good house. Edit: In my country the period is 30 years. In my opinion it should be like 3 years or so. A regular person with an unused property should be able to visit it at least once a year.

[@charomivida]

I know a guy (scum bag) who actually did this . He told me just moved into empty homes and lived there , then normally got kicked out by the owners, he got kicked out of about 20 homes then found one where he never got kicked out , It was a one bedroom shack in the bad part of town , he had the power turned on and just stayed. After 5 years he paid the back taxes on it , and in 7 years he got the place in his name and now owns it .

[@charomivida]

@@salted_lizard Lets play the Race Card with squatters and see which color wins

[@jakesoros2376]

​@@charomivida That Race Card is unfortunately exceptionally effective nowadays.

[@REACTSHENANIGANS]

"Taking out the lawn & reading the trash etc." 🤣🤣🤣

[@ratoim]

*stops video, turns on closed captioning, rewinds, watches again* Yep, that's what he said.

[@isiranonymous251]

*HAI:* Shows me how to steal a house. *Me:* Steals HAI's house. *HAI:* D:

[@triplej755]

*Surprised Pikachu image*

[@justaregulartoaster]

Man, i love the infograp- ...wait a second, This isn't the infographics show! This is only half as interesting!

[@deontaetrott5752]

Just A Regular Toaster good one normie

[@Rah003]

Ba dum tssst

[@TheKraken5360]

Adverse possession has legitimate uses. For instance, there are sometimes mistakes made in the paperwork. Maybe someone sells you a house, but the deed isn't handled properly. 40 years later, you try to sell the house, and discover that this paperwork error means that you are not technically the legal owner of the land. The original seller is long gone. Adverse possession is the only way to deal with a situation like that.

[@Strange_Brew]

I got a young couple with a baby a free house in Southern California. Just told them how it’s done . The judge awarded them the house!

[@paulinechapman5669]

Well aren’t you just the living end of charity….for shame..Mr Trump..🇨🇦

[@Strange_Brew]

@@paulinechapman5669 A man passed away With 12 houses and no will. He had been renting the houses but in his later years he could not maintain them so they were vacant for years. Eventually the houses went to the State of California being in intestate. The judge awarded the house to the young couple but also added they had to pay the state property tax at current valuation of 485,000. So it wasn’t absolutely free.

[@HallowedWeasel]

One additional item some states in the US have to make adverse possession harder: the squatter must be paying the property taxes as well.

[@3rdalbum]

Same in Australia.

[@traceystock7352]

It's an awesome caveat to this Roman Empire era law and one that makes sense in an era of modern land survey and titling techniques. Sadly only a handful of states actually require the taxes be paid by the adverse possessor like Florida for example.

[@FC-qe1wl]

@@traceystock7352 So I could say Iam squatting and not have to pay property taxes ? Cool

[@traceystock7352]

@@FC-qe1wl I don't think you understood my comment. I am saying that states should adopt the law that requires adverse possessors to pay property taxes while continuously and in a hostile fashion, possessing someone ese's property in order to gain legal title for that land after the prescribed number of years. Obviously that's if the true, record owner doesn't eject them or charge them with trespass first. Or give them written permission to be there with a lease or license. If you are an owner, no you cannot simply say you are a squatter and skip out on taxes.

[@saltywhale0167]

Wife: WHERE ARE YOU husband: in the house Wife: HONEY, THE HOUSE IS GONE

[@jasonvoorhees5963]

*crab rave starts playing*

[@jeffreylewis5335]

For the life of me, what's not mine, is just not mine. Work for what you have.

[@thomfiel]

So if you own a whole slew of houses, which are in all kinds of different far-flung locations around the country (or the world), then it behooves you to see that someone is managing them, whether they are occupied or not.

[@jamessudlow]

I know someone who did that in the UK. A corner of there house was actually on someone else's property. They realized with about a year to go before they could claim it and because they didn't want to give up there washing up machine space didn't tell there neighbors. They then claimed the area later without there neighbors ever knowing.

[@Dave_Sisson]

Someone got adverse possession of a section of a dead end laneway in my area of Melbourne. No one used the laneway so they fenced it off and a couple of decades later it was legally theirs. Land is worth about $6,000 a square metre in that suburb, so it was quite a valuable gain for them.

[@3rdalbum]

@@Dave_Sisson I heard about one where they took care of some land that legally belonged to their neighbours, but the neighbours didn't realise it. Eventually the neighbour's land was sold to a new couple, who realised some other guy had fenced off part of the land described on the Certificate of Title but it was too late - squatters rights had kicked in by then.

[@Dave_Sisson]

@@3rdalbum Last week I heard a lawyer discussing this on the radio. A neighbour had inadvertantly occupied a strip of land for a few decades that belonged to the lawyers client. The neighbour then sold the house, the new owners did a survey and found out about the extra land and made enquiries about getting ownership through adverse possesion. But to do that the former owner had to "sell" their squatters rights to the new owner. However the lawyers client who was about to lose their land was still friends with the former owner, so they approached the former owner who sold their adverse possesion claim to the rightful owner of the land for a token one dollar, which thwarted the new owners plans to get the land. That appears to the law in the state of Victoria, Australia, although it may be different in other jurisdictions.

[@leaderofthelewishpeople6382]

Half as Interesting: You can steal someone's house legally. Squatters in the third world: Wait, you guys can do that?

[@highcc]

It's derived from the Roman law of usucapio. As most legal systems in the world are based either on common law Roman law, that law (adverse possession or usucapio) exists in most of the world, even undeveloped.

[@htcmlcrip]

Just a note. Adverse possession in uk. As rumours have ot. Is still here to serve a purpose. Abandoned houses are dangerous and health hazard. Which isnt allowed (to have such a hazardous house for no reason. It should be maintained regardless you live there or not). So if owner do t follow up with maintenance but someone else does. Owner dont deserve it (aka loses it) for allowing it to become a hazard. As a penalty. Either keep it reasonably safe or lose it.

[@songboat]

I have a case of prosecutorial misconduct. In my case the prosecutor refused to file a trespass on my behalf against my neighbor/council member was applying toxic chemicals on my private property. My neighbor's intent was to cause serious injury, he was successful. The prosecuting attorney had a conflict of interest to the degree that he was filing charges against me based on fabricated laws. The motive for my neighbor to poison me was because he purchased the non conforming lot adjoining mine from the Mayor. He was issued fraudulent building permits by the City. He illegally redeveloped his lot with no regard to State building code or drainage laws. State law has strict laws when redeveloping con conforming lots. State law requires any non conforming lot can only have new structures with a footprint no larger than the existing buildings. In this case a small double wide mobile home and a single car wood frame garage. This neighbor fill the entire lot with structures. He diverted all the storm water runoff onto my property causing uncontrollable flooding in violation of State drainage laws. When he completed his redevelopment he discovered the redevelopment was going to be denied being recorded on the County plat map. It was at this time, they (local officials) determined his remedy was to eliminate me from my property so he could acquire it. With the addition of my property he would not be considered a non conforming property. He used glyphosate to poison me. The first year he applied it on my side of our 300' common boundary. I began to have a rash on my shins immediately. I told him not to apply or come on my property again. I requested an incident report from the Police chief. It took the Police chief 16 months to give me the report. By that time my entire body was suffering from a severe skin condition. I was denied a trespass against this terrorist. I was denied any protection of he law. I was forced to flee after more than five years of being exposed in an attempt to save my life. I could not stop him and they would not stop him. Homeless and blind with none of my investment from my business I operated from that location. I have never been convicted of a crime. I have all the evidence proving my case of conspiracy against rights, deprivation of right under color of law and torture. How can a prosecutor deny a citizen their private property rights? I will suffer everyday for the rest of my life from the intentional exposure.

[@crai-crai]

Family who just paid off mortgage: We've been living here continuously and exclusively for 20 years. Bank: But you can't prove it was hostile so we're stealing your house Court: Rules in favor of the bank

[@delighteddino9363]

thats not even adverse possesion, the bank would have to live in the house or own the house, and by the time the mortgage was paid off, it is in full the families,also the bank doesnt own the house anyway, until they go through with foreclosure

[@justanormalsponge1801]

Go to minecraft, find a village and sleep on their house. easy

[@philipj.sherman2987]

FYI...Adverse possession of a property is NOT squatting on a property. One main difference is that there is legal documentation in state statutes and the county recorder's office in Adverse possession.

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

I don't live on it, but I stole a brush hill in my village center, cleared it, planted, put in a driveway and put up a monument. It's been almost 2 years, I may start adding sheds

[@captainwafflez3630]

"When stealing is legal..." *Shows Wall Street*

[@bobtagacphoto]

Me: How could he possibly insert an aircraft joke in this HAI: ... Bombardier CRJ200 Smooth as f

[@mjposner]

In Florida the common law adverse possession no longer works. You either can adverse possess under color of title and seven years of fenced in possession and control (color of title is a written instrument that seems to convey you title. For example you sell me Lot 1 (and you owned Lot 1 and Lot 2). If the deed says Lot 1 and Lot 2, and you then take control of Lot 2 and use and possess for 7 years then you have adversely possessed Lot 2. Without color of title you have to get possession, make a return for taxes with the tax collector within one years of taking possession, and then possess and pay taxes for seven years. I have successfully won ap cases (but usually just getting a small piece adjacent to the intended parcel that was not conveyed at the time of closing (for various reasons)

[@smarthome2660]

I keep getting mail in other people's names, a lot of different people. I signed up for Informed Delivery from USPS and have had all mail to my home stopped EXCEPT mail in my name. Sometimes mail does slip thru when USPS uses my street as a training route, so I contact the senders and make sure to let them know I live alone. I do this because if a person gets mail at your address for a predetermined time, they are entitled to squat there. Just today I got a notice of a new person's mail from Ford about airbags. These new mails are not from any person that may have lived here before me as I have lived here forever and when I ask the sender when the account had been setup at this address, they all say within the last year. Getting mail at an address IS PROOF that you live there! My home kinda looks abandoned except for the 8 security cameras and the lighted security signs. At night my home looks dark from the outside but all windows have blackout curtains.

[@ThisisBarris]

Having squatters take over my house while I'm on holiday is probably one of my biggest fears.

[@mosesracal6758]

Well going on vacation for 20+ continuous years is now out of the books

[@jessejisk9918]

hey its been two years so this is fitting im not a squatter but i am an anarchist (we like squatting), squatters only target houses that have been empty for more than about 1 or 2 years because if you come back and find us in there then we'll be in a lot of trouble, squatters want to be left alone (as anyone would)

[@starlite556]

Have a sign outside with a picture of a huge dog that says no trespassing. Also, have a doorbell that when pushed you hear the sound of a huge dog.

[@relevation0]

@Eric Johnson just shoot them. EZ

[@Posh910]

Ill house sit for you and I have my own house so I dont need yours but I will squat for you till you get back!!! Quack Quack !!! :)

[@UsaSatsui]

Adverse possession is less of a way to "legally steal" land and more a way for you to claim abandoned or neglected property - it is very unlikely you're going to be able to openly live on someone's land for 5-20 years without someone connected to them stopping by unless they either don't care or somehow are prevented from doing so. It's a huge risk too - you have to take the chance that you put a ton of work into a home and a place to live for nothing if the owner does stop by after a 4 year vacation and tells you to get out. As the video said, it's mostly relevant for property disputes and mistakes involving fences and the like - if you've accidentally controlled property for long enough, you don't have to give it back when the mistake is discovered. Should also be noted that "squatter's rights" is not the same thing - though if the owner did show up after said 4 year vacation and try to kick you out, they would apply then.

[@C0lon0]

In Brazil it's is called "Usu Capião" and i'm actually registering my house via this law, because the last owner, that i bought the house from, had some legal problems and now, after 5 years, the house is completely in my name, and this works even if you have an Buy and Sell Contract of the land.

[@wesmatron]

1:12 Nice one for dropping this in... Most Brits won't even get it.

[@AnadolununAslan]

IIRC, there was a squatter in Sydney who stayed in one of those old Victorian terraces (for those who don't know, they look crappy and rundown mostly, but they're expensive af since they're historical buildings). He ended up with a $20million terrace

[@lachlankeddie7]

I'll have you know that the Bombardier CRJ-200 is a FINE aircraft thank you very much... Just a little cramped, that's all..

[@Keldren.]

wow i've had a really bad month and basically found no interest in anything i normally love and been just watching random youtube essentially in the complete despair that anything could ever shake me from my existential crisis.. until 3:41 of this video that is... and i almost fell out of my chair... thank you. as random as it was, this video really cheered me up for a minute =)

[@mac10man]

I know a squatter that took the house I lived in. He ripped out all of the carpet and modified the house. This is in New Mexico and the home owner is in Idaho! If I would’ve known, I would’ve just taken it for myself.

[@money1133ful]

HAI: Here at Half as Interesting, we take a firm stance against assult, arson, kidnapping, adults napping on subway benches, *pickles*... Me: Okay, now you've taken it too far.

[@trevorschauer9680]

If you lived next door to a house that had been abandoned, or otherwise gone unused and unmaintained, and one day someone moved in and started fixing it up and caring for the property... You'd probably have a different opinion if you found out the actual owner was trying to retake the property by fighting the case. As a property owner, it's obviously in your interest to protect your rights as an owner. But it's also in your best interest to protect the value of the property you own. The value of your property is figured in relation to the properties that surround it. You can have a $500k home sitting on land worth easily twice that.. but if the neighboring properties are shit holes, you'd be lucky to get half that on the market. Owning property is a responsibility. Nobody wants to lose. But if you not meeting your responsibilities as a property owner, your affecting the other property owners around you. I wouldn't want to lose my property, but if an owner isn't going to take responsibility for their property, and someone else will.. I'll side with those who accept and fullfil the responsibility, over those who who are unable or unwilling to do the same. If you can't take care of (or remember to) of a property, then maybe you shouldn't have it. A negligent property owner might stand to lose a few hundred thousand dollars because of this law, but what about the property owners around him who lose tens of thousands (or more) each in property value because of his negligent ownership?

[@brittanydonaldson1276]

I agree

[@tireddtd4444]

There is a certain temporary insanity about coming home to trespassers in your home and standing your ground. Never let anyone just steal your house. Depending on if you live in a Liberal 'we love criminals' city/state you may need to post signs that state 'Trespassers and attempted squatters will be shot' so you can legitimately have the defense that they were warned. When defending yourself with a firearm you have a right to shoot until the threat is stopped, I would think that could be used in this case too. Makes sense.

[@Cheshire_Cat_]

a couple years ago, my grandpa had to leave for a few months, so he paid a woman to housesit/catsit while he was away. When he returned, she refused to leave, and used a ton of laws just like this as threats. He had to pay her a frankly outrageous amount of money together to leave, on top of everything else (her fee for housesitting, the food she ate, damages to the house). These laws have uses sometimes but they can also do a lot of damage to innocent homeowners.

[@athenagreen5390]

This is a good thing, actually. If a property is abandoned by the owner in such a way that ALL of these conditions are met, there is no reason that house shouldn't be left empty. We have a homelessness problem in America and so, so many empty homes. If a house is abandoned for over 5 years and safe to live in, why should a homeless person have to sleep on the streets?

[@basilkatakuzinos659]

Mowing The fences, watering the window, taking out the lawn, reading the trash... I love it

[@lecozelio9483]

In France, we have the same rule. It is called "possession utile" or "possession trentenaire" and it takes 30 years.

[@falandrion2870]

Most jurisdictions have it, as it is based on a roman law principle (usucapio / praescriptio). However, does it still apply to land under modern french law? Most countries with a land register abandoned the principle for land, as the register provides an easy way to establish who the legal owner is. (I assume that's why it is still applied to land in common law jurisdictions as their land registers are generally less developed than those in civil law jurisdictions.)

[@jamesbowen8490]

Neighbor: "Welcome back Bill ! How was that year long trip?" Bill: " Very relaxing, we went Shopping, hiking, camping and hunting." Neighbor: "Well that's good to hear, by the way that person you had staying in your house was pretty loud and did a terrible job keeping up the yard." Bill: "Yeah, well he had to leave." Neighbor: "Say, those big garbage bags are leaking blood! Is that from your hunting trip?" Bill: "Why, yes it is Bill! Now if you will excuse me, I have to get this carcass to the dump."