In the Netherlands (admittedly a place with few slums, if any), it's completely common for squatters to smply sign up and pay for electricity, internet, TV, running water (assuming the squatted building is hooked up to these services already). The services companies don't care who uses the services as long as the bills are paid.
And that's why the Netherlands is still considered "first world"
Let me explain how they do it in Brazil. Someone with a long pole shuts down a switch in the utilities pole. Then climb it and wire their house to it, no meters.
Normally like the vast majority of slums in the world? Most aren't build in areas that were planned out and had infrastructure run so its not like you could call up the water company and have them bill you, there's simply no infrastructure. At least this is my understanding of slums in countries such as Brazil, India and similar where the neighborhood has grown organically.
Ah, but this is a commercial building, just unfinished, in the downtown core. They had to have valid permits, and utility hookups, if they were planning at all to finish the building and rent it to people.
I remember noticing that it was common practice to steal electricity when I was in India about four years ago. I also work with an Indian who backed this up.
I decided to check up on the statistics when I read this comment. It seems like 32% is stolen nationwide, making it the highest world-wide [1], with reports of 42% in New Delhi [2].
In the Netherlands (admittedly a place with few slums, if any), it's completely common for squatters to smply sign up and pay for electricity, internet, TV, running water (assuming the squatted building is hooked up to these services already). The services companies don't care who uses the services as long as the bills are paid.