Squatter
To squat is to occupy an unoccupied or abandoned space or building that the individual does not own, rent, or otherwise have permission to use. Squatters often claim rights over the spaces they have squatted by virtue of occupation, rather than ownership. Squatting has a long history, as old or older than the idea of property itself. To squat in many countries is in itself a crime, in others it is only seen as a civil conflict between the owner and the occupants. The law (the State) has traditionally and in virtually every case sided with the property owner. However, in many cases where squatters had de-facto ownership, laws have been changed to legitimize their status. It is said that the US Homestead Act is an example of such legislation. Additionally, states which have a shortage of housing tend to ignore squatters until the property undergoes development and they need to be removed.
Australia
In Australian history, the term refers to early farmers who occupied huge tracts of largely undeveloped land on which they ran large numbers of sheep and cattle. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first (and often the only) Europeans in the area. It is known that many fought battles (though with the disparity in weapons technology they were usually more like massacres) with the local Aboriginal communities in the areas they occupied, though such battles were rarely investigated and modern historians resort to much guesswork in estimating the numbers of Aborigines killed in this fashion.
Whilst life was initially tough for the squatters, with their huge landholdings many of them became very wealthy and were often described as the "squattocracy". The descendants of these squatters often still own significant tracts of land in rural Australia, though most of the larger holdings have been broken up, or, in more isolated areas, have been sold to corporate interests.
Their iron grip on Australia's agricultural land was broken up in the 1860s with the passing of "selection acts" that allowed ex-miners from the 1850s gold rush to claim areas of farmland at no cost. Whilst squatters tried tactics legal and illegal to discourage "the selectors" (for instance, taking out selections of their own which covered vital land such as watercourses) eventually wider settlement took place and smaller farms (though still huge by European and even U.S. standards) became the norm in more fertile parts of Australia.
The power of the squatters, including their affinity with the police, is alluded to in "Waltzing Matilda", Australia's archetypal folksong.
United Kingdom
In England and Wales, squatting usually refers to occupying an empty house in a city. The owner of the house must go through various legal proceedings before evicting squatters. The owner must prove that they have a right to live in the property and that the squatter does not, and the squatter has the opportunity to claim there isn't sufficient proof or that the proper notice hasn't been given.
Some properties are still occupied by squatters who have resisted eviction for 20 years.
Squatter's rights is the right or term to have or the ownership of a house after 12 years if no one claims it.
Some famous squats
See also; Squatter's rights, squat party, cybersquatting
