Squatters in London Live Like Lords

In London, 'squatters' are staying in upscale buildings for months and even years without paying any rent for its usage. Many of these 'squatters' stay in abandoned buildings found in prime locations in London.

In London, you can live a like a millionaire without spending a pound to pay rent on the place of your choice. You can even settle down in the most prestigious area near the center of power. In an article by AFP and carried by Yahoo news: ‘A stone’s throw from the Dorchester Hotel and an Aston Martin car dealership, squatters have taken over two mansions on one of London’s most prestigious streets. Park Lane which runs up the side of the city’s Hyde Park is a favorite address of celebrities and business people, but the newest occupants of numbers 94 and 95 are cut from a slightly different cloth. ‘Stick’, one of the squatters, told AFP that he stumbled upon his new seven-storey residence-complete with penthouse on top- in November while searching for a place to live with a group of fellow artists. ‘The place was empty, man’, he said, speaking through the letterbox of number 95 because journalists are refused entry. ‘The door was open. I just opened it’ According to “Stick’ the units were empty for around two years because of renovation works. Another fellow said that he has been living in London for two years without paying any rent. Some people managed to live in upscale communities in London without worrying about where to find money to pay for the rent. They say that they can always find a place that are abandoned but are livable although mostly are without any working utilities because the buildings are either under renovation or are totally abandoned. How these ‘squatters’ do this without being apprehended is a big question mark. But they have done it and they stayed on for years without paying a single pound for using the place. The secret is that one must know the law in London because if you don’t you will be in trouble with the authorities. In England, squatting or occupying an abandoned building is illegal only if it involves breaking into the building or entering it forcibly. In the case of these squatters, they saw the entrance to the interiors of the buildings open so they do not have to force their way in. The can just go inside and stay for as long as nobody tells them to leave. If they don’t force their way in, they’re not breaking the law.