Squatting in a residential building is to become a criminal offence in England and Wales from tomorrow.
The maximum penalty will be six months in jail or a £5,000 fine, or both.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the law has been introduced following public concern about the harm that trespassers can cause.
The offence will protect owners and lawful occupiers of any type of residential building. This includes homeowners and tenants who might have been excluded from their homes by trespassers.
Justice Minister Crispin Blunt told the BBC that this new law is about: “Justice and fairness for homeowners who should not have their homes stolen by squatters.â€
He says: “Only when you make the request to the squatters to leave, that's when the current offence happens. Now it's actually the fact of the trespass that should or is known to the trespasser, that they are in a home improperly then that is the criminal offense. So, the whole enforcement exercise now becomes very much clearer and it's the fact of the offence that will lead to police action.â€
Leslie Morphy, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis, is less than impressed with the law change. She is quoted as saying: "There was already legal provision that police and councils could, and should, have used to remove individuals in the rare instances of squatting in someone's home.
“The new law also applies to empty homes - of which there are 720,000 in England alone, including many that are dilapidated and abandoned - criminalising homeless people when they are just trying to find a place off the streets. Ultimately the Government needs to tackle why homeless people squat in the first place by helping not punishing them."
August 31, 2012
Get started today
Speak to one of our mortgage experts. Book an appointment to come and see us or request one of our experts to call you.
To arrange a meeting with one of our expert mortgage advisers complete our enquiry form or mortgage questionnaire and we will call you back. Please note, by submitting this information you have given your agreement to receive verbal contact from us to discuss your mortgage requirements.
You voluntarily choose to provide personal details to us when submitting an enquiry. Your information is confidential and held in accordance with the appropriate data protection requirements. Read Trinity Financial's privacy policy.
We believe that working together is the best way to gain trust, reliability and certainty.
Excellent service from David. Available. Quick responses. Flexible. My situation wasn’t the easiest and David took...
Excellent service from David. Available. Quick responses. Flexible. My situation wasn’t the easiest and David took the time to double check with banks their conditions prior to get me my agreement in principle. Highly recommended. Mortgage was quick and easy, I was able to focus on the conveyancing part.
More
Less
MichaëlMar 19 2024
My 7th remortgage experience with Anthony and the Trinity team - they're the best - great advice, products and services...
My 7th remortgage experience with Anthony and the Trinity team - they're the best - great advice, products and services.
More
Less
Dave SaucierMar 05 2024
Sophie and Liam were absolutely amazing in getting us the best rates, submitting paperwork quickly and answering all the...
Sophie and Liam were absolutely amazing in getting us the best rates, submitting paperwork quickly and answering all the questions we had very quickly, so we always knew where we stood - which is so important when buying a house. We couldn't recommend them enough!
More
Less
Rita NevesMar 01 2024
15
years' experience
Over the last 15 years we have helped thousands of clients to purchase new homes, secure buy-to-let mortgages and remortgage.
23
mortgage experts
Trinity’s experts will do everything possible to secure the fastest mortgage offers while providing you with regular progress updates.
17,043
mortgages arranged
We consistently arrange fantastically priced fixed and tracker rate mortgages through the leading banks and building societies.