Discovering that squatters have moved into your unoccupied property, can be devastating news. Squatters can cause significant damage to your property, internally and externally, and removing them legally and safely, can be a costly and drawn-out process.
So do squatters have rights, and how can you remove them from your unoccupied property?
What the law says
Section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 was implemented to prevent landlords from forcibly evicting tenants. It therefore became a crime in most circumstances, for a landlord to forcibly enter a building occupied by squatters, if the squatters where physically present to object to the landlord’s entry.
Since 1st September 2012 and the introduction of Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, squatting or claiming ‘squatter rights’ in a residential building, where someone knowingly trespassed and is living or intending to live in the building without the permission of the property owner was made illegal.
However, squatting in a vacant non-residential building, is not usually a crime. The police cannot necessarily remove squatters from commercial buildings for simply being there, but they can remove them if they have committed other crimes whilst there.
Keeping squatters away
Reduce the risk to your unoccupied property and prevent people from squatting by following these recommendations:
- Remove any trees and scaffolding near the property that could make entry easier.
- Keep the property internally and externally as clean and tidy as possible. The more occupied a property looks, the less likely squatters will want to move in.
- Ensure all entry points such as doors, windows and skylights are locked using British standard locks. Consider installing security fencing and metal panelling.
- Install CCTV cameras and a security system that can be checked remotely.
- Flood lights directed at entry points and blind spots will leave less space for squatters to hide.
- Inspect your property regularly but at different times.
- Shut off all services such as water and electricity.
- Remove fixtures such as toilets and kitchen units
What to do if you find squatters
If you discover that squatters have been illegally residing in your property, you may want to start the eviction process as soon as possible. Due to squatters rights the longer the squatters stay in your property, the harder it can become to evict them.
To evict squatters safely and legally from your property, the following guidelines usually apply…
…To read the full article and explore more helpful guides, head over to the Guardcover website.
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