what is a hijacked building

A hijacked building is a building or land where someone other than the owner or authorized agent has illegally taken occupation, and the owner of the property has not given permission for the occupation. Criminal syndicates in the 1990s and 2000s started "hijacking" buildings that were left empty and renting them out illegally. These buildings are often abandoned by their owners and taken over by criminal groups in order to be leased out to people in need of housing. The buildings are then divided up into rooms using cardboard, scrap metal, or old discarded building material, leaving the occupants with little to no access to basic amenities such as running water, toilets, or a legal electricity connection. The occupants of hijacked buildings are often low-income families who cannot afford to pay for legal housing.