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So why would you want to go and live in an old, abandoned building? And what’s this about not paying rent – isn’t that immoral not to mention illegal?

Not really. Firstly, squatting in most countries is a civil offence, not criminal. Secondly, The current rent situation is that most people pay 30-50% of their salaries just to put a roof over their heads. There’s no option of living in your own teepee in the average town or city and so there’s no choice but to hand over your hard-earned money to a landlord.

This wouldn’t be so bad if every house belonged to a little old lady down the road who had a small apartment as her only income but the reality is starkly different. Millions of buildings over Europe are left empty while their owners either wait for their real estate value to rise or they plan some lucrative development project. Most of the property actually belongs to avaricious landlords with a real estate portfolio big enough to house your average village.

To have shelter over your head is a basic human right. Yet in most places you’re required to pay out huge deposits (which are not always given back), jump through all the hoops of merciless agencies and wait for months for the most basic household needs to be attended to.

The housing barons hold us at their mercy and make us pay whatever the market will bear. That is immoral.

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