A lei brasileira de incorporação de imóveis urbanos abandonados: o caso do imóveis ocupados por famílias sem-teto

Major Brazilian cities have a large number of urban properties in a state of abandonment. The lack of maintenance and cleanliness worsens the risk of structural collapse and causes the spread of diseases such as dengue, zika and yellow fever, which are some of the jeopardies associated to abandoned properties. As an alternative to address the issue, this paper analyses the use of legal mechanisms, authorizing the incorporation of the abandoned properties into public property. However, some abandoned urban properties are occupied by homeless families, a fact not foreseen by current legislation, and that has triggered off conflicts between the public administration and homeless families. These conflicts prevent the adoption of necessary measures to mitigate the risks inherent to abandonment, as well as proper management of city-owned estate