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Monday, January 9, 2012

Squatters in Texas Town Use Arcane Law to Claim Vacant Homes


This sounds just like what you talked about in your book, where squatters move into people’s houses while they’re on vacation.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012…..latestnews
Katy
Hi Katy, that’s exactly the same thing that I’ve talked about here in the blog and my book.
It´s not that surprising though. Not only because of the economic crisis, but because of a factor not many people know. Argentina copied most of the US laws. Including those is one very similar to Adverse Possession. Like in US, if one can prove residence for 10 years, in which you inhabited the territory and cared for it, you can claim a legal right to such property in Argentina.
Of course these squatters are just running their mouth, but notice how it suddenly goes from a home invasion, to you being the one on the other side of your own door and even cops can’t kick them out, it has to go through legal channels. That takes a long time, time they live in your house!
Not only will this be yet another concern for people in the future, it also changes the game in terms of preparedness.

Given that these events will become more common as time goes by. How much sense does it make to have vacant property to use as the famous BOL (bug out location) A fully stocked place, left empty? You might wrap it up in gift paper and put a big red ribbon on top of it.
What about traveling, because of pleasure, work or true need like this person needing health treatment? Your house will be left empty for weeks, maybe months. Can you afford to have an isolated place or is it better to have a neighbor that can keep an eye on it for you? Are you sure someone can move in to your place, maybe leave their own empty, exactly when you need it?
How about “light control”? The ultimate survivalist strategy of pretending to be an empty house so as to not attract attention. How much sense does that make now? These people are specifically looking for empty houses!

Time goes by and things start getting more serious. The make believe and fantasy go their own way and the cold hard truth of what works and what doesn’t become evident.
Concentrate on real world preparedness folks. Its been years now since you could last afford to play fort and wait for the cannibal raiders to come.
FerFAL

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13 comments:

Kuffar said...

Adverse Possesion sounds like alot of the stupid property laws that exist in Texas that don't hold water in the rest of the US. Like home owners associations kicking an owner out of their house because they did't pay their association dues. Anywhere else in the US squatters would be subject to the castle doctrine and the Second Amendmant.

Anonymous said...

It is important to note that law enforcement and the courts are taking a dim view on this and it could well bring jail time to these obvious lawbreakers.

Anonymous said...

Legal or not, the comments about unoccupied retreats are valid. It's not hard to envision a crisis scenario, where you could be facing a situation where when arriving during the moment of need, your own property is occupied and well protected....against YOU! Matter of fact, there are many, many people who have military training and weapons who are planning right now to fore go further preparations and seek out places just like that and use their weapons to take whatever they need to supply themselves and their family. I've talked with them, they are capable and what they have told me is chilling.

Blog Author said...

Yesterday I left this comment in the forum and meant to leave it in comments :) I wrote an article on adverse possession a while ago, here it is
http://pennypincherpersonalfinance.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-cheap-or-free-house-through-adverse.html
You can use it, but since in many states it takes 20 years to achieve it, your chances of completing the period of time without the owner doing something about it are not great. In California it's only 5 years but you also have to pay the property tax.

Blog Author said...

My thought, if I were reduced to being on foot, is to scope out a place that seems like it has no structures near it, and plan to dig a little mini-bunker. I think I can dig enough of a little pit to sleep in in a few hours, and then get fancy from there. A few of these, dug in advance and cleverly covered up, would probably go unnoticed by the ravenous hordes and the landowner alike. For about $50 I could put in that hole 20# each of beans and rice in rat-proof containers, several 2-liter soda bottles of water, a water filter, a homemade rocket stove, and a cheap small cook pot from the thrift store. That would take a few trips, of course. If you take a shovel and cut the handle in half, your shortened shovel would be good for digging such bunkers and you could use the other half to make a club weapon. You can even make a rocket stove by digging a U-shaped hole in the ground (2 holes connected at the bottom) and building one up higher with rocks and mud. You don't need to mess with tin cans.

Anonymous said...

Rub it in their faces, ferfal! Real world preparedness is right! Good man.

Anonymous said...

What do they call someone who has:
"military training and weapons who are planning right now to fore go further preparations and seek out places just like that and use their weapons to take whatever they need to supply themselves and their family." If they actually commit this crime????

Criminals/prisoners!!

What you described may indeed be true. There may be people who intend to do exactly that. If they are lucky they will go to jail. If they are unlucky they will be shot by the homeowner in self defense.

FerFAL said...

Actually if they are lucky they shoot YOU dead and take over your place, which is the most probably scenario if they plan the attack on you at all.
FerFAL

hsu said...

Just so you know, the purpose of the "adverse possession" law is not to reward squatters.

The purpose is to prevent a random person who has a really old claim on your land from repossessing your land.

That is, adverse possession is basically a statute of limitations on claims against your property.

dc.sunsets said...

This discussion highlights the benefits of keeping a low profile, the more invisibile the better.

Few private citizens have the deep pockets to build and equip a true fortress. The rest of us must suffice with blending in with the other zebras in the herd and trying to be just a little faster (a little harder target) than the next guy.

After all, the biggest gang on the block is always your own government, whose members also may covet what others have and, with badges and official authority, can use your own resources to plunder you.

Anonymous said...

Penny Pincher, are you seriously advising people to to squat on another person's property and take it away from them without paying anything for it? After the owner has made all the payments on it for years and years, and then you are advising people to just go take it over leaving the real owner with nothing? You don't see anything wrong with that?

Anonymous said...

You are 100% correct that they might shooy you, but that begs the question. The bad guy might shoot you in the street too so should you stay out of the street? The bad guy might shot you in a home invasion so should you hide under the bed? The bad guy may indeed shoot you. That is a given. But if the bad guy is in your home, breaking and entering and by your own words threatening to shoot you then YOU are in the right and can legally shoot them first. The bad guy is not in the right in any of the scenarios presented and again will likely go to jail if he lives. So my question is simply; how is this a good and responsible thing to suggest??? I don't care if you think you are Rambo how is it a good plan to think you can just go live in someone else's home??

Anonymous said...

"I remember thinking how its just stuff"

I wonder how many American preppers, with their gadget oriented lives could ever say that?

I am deeply impressed with you!