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The trick to squatting is being quiet, tidy and friendly, former fisherman and Geelong local Les said.

If you’re not causing any issues, the owners might let you stay on for a little while when they eventually discover you.

“Where I am now, I’ve been there probably 14 months,” Les said.

“The owners know I’m there, I’m right for a little bit longer.”

The 57-year-old has experienced different forms of homelessness for about a decade, and has spent the past five or so years squatting in abandoned and unused properties around Geelong’s CBD and inner suburbs.

For much of the pandemic, he lived in a shed in the backyard of a vacant inner-city property.

When the owners decided to knock it down to build townhouses, Les had to pack his gear into a trolley and head to a new spot — one which had caught his eye months earlier.

He’s still there now, living in the crawl space of an unused building on the cusp of the CBD.

Les isn’t tall, so he only occasionally hits his head on the thick timber beams holding up the floorboards, while the brick…