Recent news stories have detailed the plight of residents in Ilford suffering from a sharp rise in squatters. As a Landlord of a property that lies vacant or even an occupier that is away for a short space of time it can be extremely upsetting to find strangers settled into your property.
Ola Leslie have expertise in this field and have experience in regaining vacant possession quickly (see example)
I have a squatter. What do I do?
Do you actually have a squatter?
A squatter is a trespasser a person who has no legal right to be there at all, i.e. they do not own or rent and are there without the owner’s permission. Some landlords and tenants alike believe that when tenants do not vacate after having been served a notice they become squatters. This is not true, they are tenants that have breached their contractual obligations. If you have given somebody permission to use your property and they subsequently do not leave, they are equally not a squatter.
Do you have an immediate right to enter the property?
If the property is your home or you were intending to move into the property as your home, then you are regarded as having an immediate right to enter. This is important as it will influence the remedies or right of action available to you. The appropriate notice should be served to the occupants and an application made to the court for an Interim Possession Order (IPO) to get your property back. Courts are often very busy, but applications can usually be heard as a matter of urgency within a couple of days.
How to get squatters to leave.
Once squatters are served with an IPO, they must leave the property within 24 hours. If they don’t leave, they are committing a crime and may be arrested. At this stage you also have the option of evicting the squatters with the help of a bailiff.
Contact us immediately if you have any issues at 0207 183 0084 or alternatively e-mail property@olaleslie.com.
