‘Ethical’ Squatter Who Hasn’t Paid Rent In 15 Years Reveals How He Convinces Homeowners He’s Doing Them A Favor

As of 2024, there were 771,480 homeless people in the U.S. alone. Some homeless people resort to squatting in abandoned buildings to make sure there’s a roof over their heads, which is understandable.

One man has a slightly different perspective on squatting, though. Instead of seeing it as a temporary solution, he thinks it can work out long-term, and considers himself and his friends as proof. He shared his “ethical” squatting method, which left the internet pretty divided.

The man’s history of squatting started out of necessity, but it’s taken on a life of its own over the years.

He opened himself up to scrutiny in Reddit’s famous r/AMA (short for “Ask Me Anything”) forum. In a brief introduction, the man said he’s a Western European in his 30s now. He had his first experience with squatting when he couldn’t keep paying rent as a student, and has continued to move from one house or building to another with his friends as needed for 15 years.

The “ethical” part of his argument comes from the fact that they always stay in touch with the owner, even though they don’t actually pay rent. This baffled some people, like one who asked, “How is this possible?”

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The squatter said it was honestly a pretty simple arrangement. “We’d identify abandoned homes (or buildings in general), move in, get in touch with the owner, figure out an agreement, and leave whenever they’d need the building for renovations or something else,” he explained.

Apparently, he and his friends have been able to convince their “landlords” that they’re actually helping them out because they keep the buildings in good condition while never causing any problems. They also pay for their own water, electricity, and internet bills.

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It doesn’t sound like squatting is entirely necessary for the group anymore, but they’re sticking with it for now.

In response to a question about the financial side of things, the man said that he spent the money he saved on typical living expenses and traveling the world before the COVID pandemic. Now, he has a “proper job” and is saving as much money as possible.

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As foreign as this concept may sound to some people, it almost seems like there’s a thriving world of squatters out there. Although he and his friends don’t pay any rent, he said they always have some kind of agreement in place with the owner of the building, which often includes a promise to give them two months’ notice if they need to leave. They’ve even enlisted their previous “landlords” as references before.

Obviously, there was a fair share of commenters who felt this was completely wrong, including one who called it “rationalizing an act of theft.” He replied, “May I ask what I am stealing if I have the agreement of the owner and I move out when he gets things going?”

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Laws about squatting in the U.S. can be pretty confusing, and it’s not clear how European countries compare.

Each state has its own squatters’ rights laws that allow squatters to try to take legal ownership of the property they’ve been living at after a number of years as long as the owner hasn’t intervened. Most step in pretty quickly to evict the squatters, though.

Interestingly, squatters are actually defined as anyone who lives in someone else’s building without their permission. This calls this man’s reported history of squatting into question since he said he has always had an agreement with the owner. Although he’s never paid rent, he might not fit the legal definition of a squatter because of this.

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Without knowing the specific country he and his friends are squatting in, it’s difficult to say what laws he has to abide by. He did mention that the owners would have to take them to court to remove them instead of just calling the police because of squatters’ rights laws, so his country may be more lenient.

Calling him a thief feels a little extreme since he has permission to be on the properties, but whether this could really be considered “ethical” is a different matter entirely.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.