The BPW is conducting an extensive investigation into anti-squat housing, which shows that the rights of anti-squat residents are being seriously affected in all kinds of areas. Below you will find some examples that specifically relate to privacy and personal life. Can we ask you to complete the investigation into anti-squat so that we know what is going on?

Example 1 “I had the day off and by the end of the morning I was in bed with my boyfriend. We had sex with each other and because it was summer we were not under the covers. Suddenly out of nowhere the door swings open and two inspectors stand in the room and look unashamedly at us. I had to send them out of the room myself.”

Example 2 “Furthermore, the large building was suddenly rented out to Poles / Chinese, without being indicated. So strange people in the house. I was shocked when suddenly strange men walked into the building. Furthermore, no locks were hung or anything. Just a 'figure it out' thing”.

Example 3 “I also have the idea that the controls are very subjective. One inspector pays attention to completely different things than the other. For one it is mainly about not seeing joints on the table, the other is almost counting the crumbs on your floor. Or when they can't find anything, they're going to tell you that there are some items of clothing on the floor that need to be cleaned up. When you're 23 and living on your own, you just don't want such patronization anymore. “

Example 4 “Shouldn't put your own lock on the door and ensure that the house and garden remained tidy. This so that the anti-squat organization could come and check at any time whether the house would be in order (tidy) and whether we would not take in sub-lessons.
Several times strange employees of the Ad-Hoc organization have unexpectedly and without permission entered our house. We felt terribly invaded and violated in our privacy. We were afraid of being visited by strangers at any moment and this gave a constant stress that my girlfriend was stressed several times.”

Example 5 “Furthermore, the owner of the building regularly visited the building with many employees unannounced, leaving the outside doors open. Since we were not allowed to put locks on the doors, our privacy was violated (regularly complete strangers at my bed) and my belongings were not insured.”

Example 6 “I also find the unannounced property checks very annoying. I also know that if I say something about it, they will threaten to terminate the loan agreement and that I will have to move again within two weeks.”

Example 7 “They were really mean at a home check once. They stood for half an hour kicking us into the ground with mean remarks, they were almost threats. They give 'official warnings' for the smallest things. As a result, we only received our last warning, so if she does not like 1 thing we can be on the street within two weeks.”

Example 8 “The room doors were not allowed to lock. Over a period of several months, the real estate agent with potential buyers came to visit almost every day. These people didn't knock on the door, they didn't introduce themselves, they didn't say hello. They just ignored me, walked around my room, made comments, and walked out again. From Zwerfkei I had been instructed to leave my room immediately when the real estate agent came to look and I usually did. Otherwise it was just too unpleasant.”

Example 9 “Monthly, often the frequency is much greater, there are checks. These controls are quite drastic in life and provide constant tension in existence. After all, if something is not right, you can receive a warning. With two warnings you are on the street. Of course, residents do watch what they are doing. You'd better not argue. New inspectors visit regularly. While one person thinks it's neat, in an equivalent situation you get a warning from another. So you don't know what to expect. This is also the case at the time of the checks. Granted, the week in which that takes place is indicated, but is that on Monday or Friday? Moreover, this tacit agreement is not always kept. Sometimes they came to my house a week earlier or later. The tension you experience during that check-up week is therefore considerable.”

Example 10 “Although you know that there are unannounced checks every month or more, it is still something that I have a hard time getting used to. After some time, my behavior changed to such an extent that in everything I did I thought about how people would react if a controller walked in. Can I leave this for a while and clean it up tomorrow? What is my reaction if they start complaining about it here and there? You will subconsciously deal with it constantly.
On the other hand, you can of course say that you don't have to worry about anything if you have nothing to hide, but I don't think that's a valid argument. It is simply an invasion of privacy if someone has access to your living space at all times. Even if you have nothing to hide, that is an objection. More than once it happened that in the morning while I was still in bed, a controller suddenly stood next to my bed. They don't seem to be very familiar with the concept of knocking. A short knock and they open the door without waiting for an answer. But even if you are not present, the idea that someone can walk into your room like that is very unpleasant.”