I first heard about squatting while I was in Amsterdam in 2007. They even had squatted restaurants. The rule there was that if you found a building not lived in

I first heard about squatting while I was in Amsterdam in 2007. They even had squatted restaurants. The rule there was that if you found a building not lived in for 12-months, you could break in, put your own lock, a table, chair, and bed then call the cops and let them know you were squatting. The process to kick out a squatter could last over a year. I just learned that it was outlawed in 2010, but that it still goes on. ------ "In the past a building could be used legally by someone who needed to squat if it was empty and not in use for twelve months, and the owner had no pressing need to use it (such as a rental contract starting in the next month). The only illegal aspect was forcing an entry, if that was necessary. When a building was squatted, it was normal to send the owner a letter and to invite the police to inspect the squat. The police checked whether the place was indeed lived in by the squatter. In legal terms, this means there must be a bed, a chair, a table and a working lock on the door which the squatter can open and close. In cities, there was often a kraakspreekuur (squatters' consultation hour), at which people planning to squat could get advice from experienced squatters. In Amsterdam, where the squatting community is still large, there are four kraakspreekuur sessions in different areas of the city, and so-called "wild" squatting (squatting a building without the help of the local group) is not encouraged.[27] Dutch squatters use the term krakers to refer to people who squat houses with the aim of living in them (as opposed to people who break into buildings for the purpose of vandalism or theft).[5] ... On October 1, 2010, squatting was finally outlawed in The Netherlands after the Squatting Ban Bill was passed into law by both houses of Parliament. On October 28, 2011, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands decided that the legally forced end of squatting can only occur after an intervention of a judge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting#History