From 1 September 2012 there will be a new criminal offence of squatting in a residential building. The new offence will be committed where a person does all of the following:-
• Is in a residential building as a trespasser, having entered it as a trespasser;
• Knows or ought to know that he or she is a trespasser;
• Is living in the building or intends to live there for any period.
It is irrelevant whether the person entered the building as a trespasser before or after 1 September 2012
The new offence does not apply to commercial properties and it does not apply to anybody who has been a tenant or a licensee or in the building with permission.
The new offence represents another powerful weapon against squatters although for anybody whose building has been occupied by trespassers, the quickest way to remove them is by means of an action in the local County Court for an Interim Possession Order.
For any further information about how to remove trespassers from your building, please contact Nick Lambert on 0114 266 6660 or email [email protected].
