Breaking into the exclusive Highgate property market in north London is notoriously difficult. But yesterday a homeless man apparently did the almost-impossible, managing to secure his very own slice of prime real estate on Hampstead Heath for free. Harry Hallowes, 70, says he has been given the title deeds to a piece of land on the edge of the heath on which he has been squatting for more than two decades. The 65ft by 131ft plot has been estimated to be worth up to £2 million. Because he lived there for more than the 12 years required by law, the Land Registry has declared him the legal owner. Is it time these laws were changed?
lol that is so funny, sorry but it is and good on him I say. But yeah I do think that it is time those laws changed as it is unfair for thge people who actually go out and slave their behinds off every day of the lives to get a house that isn't even worth half that amount. I honestly do think that it is time laws were re-written.
I don't really know...If it was a nice life, more people would be squatters, don't you think? I'm currently lookinf for a house in London at the moment and have had nbo luck so far.But that is because every landlord we've talked to doesn't accept DSS payments. >.< Personally, I think this man is pretty clever to have stayed there for so long. And oh no if that means there is one less rich person on the heath. Looks like they are gonna have to pay to have their own house built. :S Plus, this squatter is 70... How much longer will he have to live anyway?
Well, to take a historical perspective, it is only a couple of centuries since the government of this country took away the "common land" that had hitherto been the property of anyone that wanted to claim it. While I in part agree with the previous comment about people who work hard to earn money to buy property, I am skeptical that the kind of entrenched capital of the vested interests in the London property development market are the kind of people who "work their behind off". I have just moved to North London and the housing situation their is terrible. But then, London is a very poorly organized city compare to say, Paris. This is because while other major European cities underwent processes like Hausmanization and radical reconstruction, London has always been largely owned and controlled by slum landlords who have blocked any attempt to impose a grid structure on the city since the 1890's. The number of houses that are over 100 years old in London is astonishing. Now, with a huge influx of cheap East European labour pouring into the capital, these slum-lords are enjoying a boom that is halting any attempt to produce the kind of large scale housing imrpovements the city needs. Basic facts here, Tokyo has a higher population than London living in a much smaller area and yet property prices in London are higher than those in Tokyo. It's the most expensive city to try and buy property. The living conditions of the poor in London are nothing short of Dickensian, and these slum landlords that have 8 Poles living illegally in a house that was previously designed for a single family, absolutely disgust me. So I'm 100 percent for anyone who gives them a one in the eye!
Well after reading that post you have just made Onoria I totally agree with you. Being from Australia I don't really know a great deal that goes on over there and from everything that I have seen posted here over the last 2 months I am extremely greatful to be living in Australia.
Yeah - there are day's I wished my ancestors had been Irish, Catholic apple theives and got themselves sent down under! The worst part is the indifference and villification of the poor by the British media. People like Alice should be able to get somewhere small, but clean and safe to live - being on the DSS doesn't make you worthless. It makes me laugh to see the same right-wing thinkers who hate the "scrounging poor" pick up their copies of Harry Potter! Even key workers like teachers, nurses and police officers can't get decent accommodation in London because why give one person a fair deal in a rennovated flat when you can bang 6 Polish people in there no matter how bad the place is? Maybe I'm a hopeless leftie, but I can't help but thinking that you'd be hard pushed to find someone on the dole who is not infinitely more worthwhile as a human being than George Bush or Paris Hilton -and let's face it, Hilton hotels have bought up a fair old bit of land around the world's capitals. Oh - and I do like your sig. by the way!
Gee that sounds absolutely terrible. My family came from England and the stories that I was told seem so much like a fairytale compared to what I now hear. I am so glad that my grandparents migrated here. And thanks about the sig, it is only part of one of my favourite sonnets by Shakespeare.
I doubt London will get it's act together any time soon. Just walking down the street I see at least 3 homeless people roughing it. I have the right of mind to join them sometimes. D= Still, there are a lot of places that are there to help people like me get a home, which is good. And counsil housing isn't that bad.
