Ever since I moved out of my parents house to study in Leiden, I've lived in 'anti-squatting houses'. Four years later, I still live in this type of house and as a student it was a great opportunity for me!
Pros
- It's dirtcheap.This is maybe the biggest pro about living the anti-squatting way of life; these houses are super cheap since they're scheduled to be demolished in the future because they don't meet the current building requirements any longer. To prevent houses from staying vacant up until that time, the owner lets people rent the houses for absurdly low prices.
- You have your own house.As a student I didn't have to live in a filthy dormitory. The idea of living there scared me so much, so the cheap living spaces you get by living in anti-squatting houses was perfect. I could live to my own standards. No drama with roommates!
- It's an adventure!You get to live in the weirdest places! Former schools, offices and even prisons are no exceptions. My first place was an office with a huge transit warehouse attached to it!
Cons
- A lot of moving aroundWhenever you sign up to live in anti-squatting houses, you have to be aware of the fact that you can be thrown out any day. Like I said, these houses are often scheduled for demolishment or some other project, and if the owner thinks the time is there to start the proces, you have to move. In four years, I have moved two times already and at this moment I am looking for a new place again.
- Don't expect beautiful housesNow I don't say that there aren't any great houses to live in, but most of the houses are old and often partly deteriorated. In 'I don't like my house..' you can read the frustration I had in when I moved into my current house. My first house didn't even have insulation so it was friggin' cold in the winter and super hot in the summer. But unlike many students I had a living space of 60 m2. Which is a lot compared to Leiden's average student rooms.
My first two houses have been demolished already, and my current house won't exist any more in a few months. So let's go on to the next house!!
More info about the anti-squatting way of life in the Netherlands? Check these websites.
Do you live the 'anti-squatting' way of life, or have you done this in the past? If so, what are your experiences?
If not, would you be up to living like this? I'd love to read about it down below!
This is fascinating. I'd never heard of such a thing! But I can see what the appeal is, as long as you don't mind moving frequently. You still have working plumbing and such, right? That's one thing I couldn't live without. As long as I had water and plumbing, I could probably even do without electricity!
ReplyDeleteYeah! There's basically nothing wrong with these houses, plumbing and electricity work just fine, but they're just old (and sometimes a little rotten haha!)
Delete