Wants to live on a boat in Cayman

I am trying to find out if it is illegal to sleep in my car or if it’s legal to live on a boat? I already know trailer homes are illegal but not all of us agree with ridiculous real estate prices and trying to keep the image of our precious high standard of living.

---

Auntie’s answer: The Penal Code deals with “Rogues and vagabonds” (Section 159), which basically says that a person is not allowed to be found at night in various places including onboard a ship within the Cayman Islands. While this does not specifically talk about vehicles, I feel I am on safe ground saying that you would not be allowed to sleep in your car. For one thing, there would be bathroom issues.

However, if you have access to a boat and want to rent a slip, at least one of our yacht clubs will allow you to move in, as it were, with a stipulation in their slip lease that you must first get the written consent of the marina to live on your vessel.

Although your question implies that you would be making a clear choice to sleep in your car or boat, I would like to recognise that there are people in Cayman who have fallen through society’s cracks due to various unfortunate circumstances, such as an unstable home life or perhaps mental illness.

In those cases, the RCIPS takes a commendably sympathetic view, as a spokesperson explained, “We must also consider if someone is living in this way as a desperate and destitute act due to them not being able to find employment, a proper income or even being denied government aid, in which case on a community service perspective the solution may be to try an assist this person as best as possible by providing them with information of agencies that can assist them in their situation, rather than taking a prosecution approach.”

The law mentioned in this column can be found on the CNS Library

Category: Ask Auntie, Legal Questions