Landlords and Property Owners Benefit from New Law aimed at Stopping Squatters

Have you been stopped from selling your house because of squatters living in your property? That’s what happened to Janice Mason last year after squatters took over the empty home of her deceased mother just weeks before it was due to be sold. Before contracts were exchanged a group of so-called “home invaders” broke in and changed the locks. As a result she was unable to progress with the sale and even had to pay for the electricity the squatters were using. The police were powerless to act because squatting in a property was a civil, not criminal, matter and lawyers advised her that she faced a legal process that could take up to eight months and cost her thousands of pounds.

On 1^st September 2012, the law changed: Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 made squatting in a residential building a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to £5,000, or both.

“Squatters’ rights” – preventing forcible entry to an occupied building – no longer exists and the police now have a specific power to enter a property to arrest a person who is suspected of squatting.

Mrs Mason was one of the thousands who campaigned to change the law, and although her experience was an expensive one – she had to pay the bills and clean up after the squatters – she got off relatively lightly: she was not forced into debt because she couldn’t afford the repayments on the house, and she managed to hang on to the buyer and finally proceed with the sale.

For others the experience has not been so fortunate and here’s where JPC can help. Rather than letting your property sit empty for an extended period of time, we offer a completely free and confidential service to people wanting to sell their home quickly for a variety of reasons, ranging from repossession avoidance to debt issues. If you have a house you need to sell fast for whatever reason, we can help you right now.

We believe the greatest benefit we offer our clients is certainty. Selling a house is typically a slow process, with absolutely no guarantee of success. In fact, over 30% of all sales fall through! Once we have agreed to buy your house, we will never back out.

If you are facing problems, and would like to speak to one of our advisors in confidence, please call Jemima Poppy today on 01908 232879.