So you notice that the house around the corner has been vacant for some time. You are asking yourself if you can simply live in it or maybe even fix it up and then rent it out. You are wondering if anyone actually owns the house. Maybe it was due for a foreclosure? You call the bank that owns it and find out that they have no record of that house. The bank has abandoned it too. So can you move in? This is called or referred to as “squatting”. A squatter is a person that takes over an abandoned house. It's not as simple as just moving in. The foreclosure if there was one may not have been finalized and this means that the previous owner is still the owner. It's possible though to move in to that abandoned house for a few years, but it's not recommended because occupancy rights might come back to haunt you. And if you move in, you can be kicked out on the street from one day to the next. So it might not be the best idea to move in to that vacant house. And in case you were wondering, squatters who take over abandoned houses face more legal issues in the United States than in most other countries. Home-abandonment laws state that owners have to clearly demonstrate that they have given up the rights to their home. So the fact that someone abandons a house for a couple of years, doesn't quite cut it. However, there are some people that do move into these abandoned houses and actually start to pay property taxes on them. Some have had success keeping these homes and if they were not able to they at least got their tax payments reimbursed when the true owners reclaimed them. If you do move into that abandoned house and start doing yard work, you might not get too many complaints from people in that neighborhood. If anything people will be happy that the house that was vacant for a such a long time with the lawn out of control and the bushes growing every which way, is being taken care of. This gives added value to that neighborhood. In any case wherever you move, make sure to use All My Sons of Maryland, reliable local Maryland movers, for an easy and professional residential move. Our local moving company is licensed and insured and backed by four generations of moving experience so you know that All My Sons of Maryland can be trusted. Just check out our reputation!