Australian “anti-landlord” activists are sharing information on empty properties across the country for squatters to take over and potentially steal the deeds from their original owners. Jordie van den Berg, also known as “PurplePingers,” has been posting the addresses of homes he has staked out in Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
Van den Berg is behind the site ShitRentals.org, which purports to be a resource for prospective tenants to use to learn more about landlords prior to signing a rental agreement.
“Real estate agents often provide photos of properties that are years out of date, and don’t tell you what it’s like to actually live there. You don’t get to enter into a new rental knowing how difficult it might be for you to request basic repairs to be completed,” the site’s About page reads.
Tenants are invited to leave “reviews” of properties they have experiences with in an effort to warn potential future occupants about any potential issues with property maintenance, landlord behavior, or other concerns. Properties are then listed on the site in a directory with the reviews and ratings.
On his TikTok, Van den Berg has also visited tenants in distress who have called him for help, exposing poor landlords who leave their tenants in units that require dire maintenance and do not fulfill work orders.
But while ShitRentals.org appears to have a good mission, Van den Berg’s latest venture is sparking some controversy.
The activist is now compiling an address directory of “empty homes” with the intention of tipping off squatters to occupy them.
On X and TikTok, Van den Berg listed the addresses of 5 properties in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Southern Australia he claims are “empty.” Van den Berg appears to have staked out the locations, warning that one of the addresses has an individual who does the lawn maintenance.
Van den Berg is also encouraging other social media users to submit the addresses of “empty” properties through a form on his website.
“If the government won’t do anything about the rich hoarding empty homes, make them,” Van den Berg said of one of his TikToks on the effort, showing off one of the empty homes he had located.
Though it differs from its American counterpart, squatting in Australia is considered a legal gray area with many caveats. An occupier is technically allowed to enter the home, so long as they can do so without breaking any locks or windows. They are also able to stay until they have been formally ordered to leave.
While it varies from state to state, Australia maintains adverse occupancy rights, which refers to a legal principle where individuals can acquire ownership of land through unchallenged use over a certain period of time.
This principle allows someone who has occupied land without the owner’s permission for a specified time to claim legal ownership under certain conditions, such as open and notorious use.
In most Australian states, an adverse occupier can make a claim to own the property after 12 years of use. There is no provision for adverse possession in the Australian Capitol Territory or Northern Territories.
Though rare, there have been some instances in which squatters have fully taken over the deeds for properties in Australia under adverse occupancy rights.
In 1998, Sydney property developer Bill Gertos walked into a three-bedroom house, taking it as his own after learning the elderly owner had died.
He renovated the property, changed the locks, and even rented out the home for 20 years.
In 2018, he won the title to the house, and he sold it in 2020, making $1.4 million in the process.
