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ARTICLE · 27 JULY 2012

Criminalising Squatting

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Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) will create a new offence of squatting in residential property.

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Kerry Cornforth
Kerry Cornforth

Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) will create a new offence of squatting in residential property. A date has not yet been fixed for the Act to come into force.

A squatter who enters and remains in residential property commits an offence and will face up to a year's imprisonment and/or to a fine of up to £5,000.

Unfortunately, as LASPO does not extend to commercial premises, it may be that savvy squatters will move away from using residential properties and towards squatting more frequently in commercial premises. 

Criminal liability for squatting already exists under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 where failure to comply with an "Interim Possession Order" can result in similar penalties.

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