squatting
n. B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈskwɑtɪŋ// UK //skwˈɒtɪŋ// squat·ting
n. the act of living in a building or land without the owner's permission. It is often used to describe people who move into empty houses to save money or protest against high rents.
n. the act of occupying a building or land without legal title or the permission of the owner. Often used in sociological or legal contexts to describe a form of informal housing.
The city is trying to stop squatting in old buildings.
Many young people in the city resort to squatting to afford housing in an area where rent prices have doubled in five years.
Urban planners often debate whether squatting should be treated as a criminal act or as a legitimate response to the systemic failure of the housing market to meet basic needs.