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Squatting in the Bahamas

The islands marked in red on a globe
The Bahamas marked on the globe

After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, many former slaves squatted privately owned land in the Bahamas and it was established juridically that 20 years of adverse possession would result in gaining ownership (on Crown land it was 60 years).[1]

In the 21st century, undocumented migrants can be de facto squatters, tricked into paying rent to criminals posing as the owner, and the state will often evict these squatters. On the other hand, if the squatters are Bahamian nationals, the state will attempt to house them, helping them financially.[2] As of 2004, the government had no means of assessing exactly how much squatting was occurring across the island country.[3]

In 2022, the National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said that the state wanted to help squatters who were Bahamian nationals, but not if they were squatting on Crown land.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail (1992). A History of the Bahamian People: From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-First Century. University of Georgia Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-8203-2284-1. Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  2. ^ McHardy, Pauline; Donovan, Michael G. (2016). The State of Social Housing in Six Caribbean Countries. Inter-American Development Bank. p. 31.
  3. ^ McCormack, Elizabeth (2004). Private Lands Conservation in the Bahamas. University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. p. 18. Archived from the original on 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ Russell, Jade (21 June 2022). "'No one allowed to own land that belongs to govt'". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.