Aideen - you’re a perfect example of someone who understands that there is value on both sides and it is important for all of us to respect that other people have different needs, expectations, and values. Thanks for your example.
2 Likes
I understand what you wrote. It’s just that getting renters/tenants out has nothing at all to do with getting squatters out.
I’ve lived in cities where many homeowners had sitters just to watch their home. But they didn’t use services — THS or otherwise. In workplaces, they’d post their sits for interns and other early career folks to consider. So those sitters could enjoy a nicer home and / or respite from roommates.
In another workplace, where we had many telecommuters, someone started a Slack channel so potential hosts could post sits.
3 Likes
@elmi4711 , I actually suggested THS to a couple who live in Spain and were looking for someone to mind their flat/dog. Because of the squatting situation and tenant’s rights (their interpretation), they were too scared to use THS in case they couldn’t get the sitter to leave. I tried to make the points otherwise, but don’t think they changed their mind. Seems quite ironic and I never thought to point out it might actually help them secure AGAINST squatters.
5 Likes
Oh yeah, a friend of mine who doesn’t know THS asked me a good many questions in regard to that. I told them that every sitter is known before the sit and also ID checked. I didn’t argue the anti-squatting aid (because I’d never leave my girls alone), but it’s a good argument.
Squatting here is really everyday life and everybody’s aware of “you leave for a day, people move in, you see it two days later, you’re out”. It’s not actually tenant rights that come into play, it’s a provision that shields anybody from losing their “habitual living quarters”. Which can obviously be established by being in one place for two days…
EDIT: Here’s a good, quite current, write-up. Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem — idealista/news
1 Like
TashTravels: the easy solution to that is to tell them to look at Sitter profiles.
Someone who lives in the UK, US, Canada, other EU country and has lots of reviews of them doing sits all over is obviously not planning to squat in an apartment in Spain. But TBH when we first used Sitters we were very uptight about it - had to really be encouraged by friends who’d used sitters a lot.
6 Likes
I was 52 when I finally bought a house. There’s still hope for you yet! 
2 Likes
I was 39 when we bought our first home…don’t despair!
2 Likes
Squatters are a REAL ISSUE!!! All it takes in some states is a person to receive mail at said address and that makes them a tenant. Then, trying to get them out is your word against theirs (they asked me to stay while they were away) and it is a headache that aspirin won’t stop.