Squatting To Become a Criminal Offence

Squatting will become a criminal offence at the start of September after legislation to protect homeowners was passed by Parliament.  Under the change, squatters will face up to six months in jail and a maximum £5,000 fine if they move into a homeowners’ property.  It will be the first time that squatting has become a crime and follows a spate of cases in which residents have returned to find their homes occupied, and often damaged, by intruders who refuse to leave.  Charities and other campaigners have complained that the measure, contained in the Government’s Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill, will criminalise the homeless and add to the numbers living on the streets. Justice minister Crispin Blunt insisted today, however, that homeowners needed more protection as he announced that the new law would come into effect from September 1. Read more on the Evening Standard website.