The Government is currently discussing plans to amend the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill in Parliament, and if the amendments are approved, it could soon be illegal for squatters to move in to residential property—which is great news for landlords.
As anyone who has had the odious task of removing squatters from a property on their books knows, the current process for evicting squatters is time-consuming and expensive. I have not had the pleasure so far, but I know other landlords who have endured a great deal of grief after squatters moved into one of their vacant properties.
Under the current law, squatters are allowed to enter an unsecured property, but if the property is already occupied, or about to be, it then becomes illegal. However, because it is a civil offence rather than a criminal one, landlords have to take their case to the civil court, which is long-winded and expensive, and likely to leave them out of pocket on all fronts. And even when you do manage to get rid of your unwelcome guests, if they have trashed the property, it will end up being empty for even longer while you fix the damage.
If the Government’s amendments are passed, from early next year, squatting will become a criminal offence rather than a civil offence. At present, squatters have nothing to worry about apart from eviction and the hassle of finding somewhere else to live, but under the proposed changes, they will soon be facing a year in jail and/or a large fine, which should make the notion of squatting in a vacant property considerably less appealing!
