Vanessa Joll, Partner and Head of our
Property Disputes Team, and Kristine Ng examine the increase in
problems involving squatters.
It is no surprise that in times of economic downturn, we see an
increase in problems involving squatters. This can jeopardise
valuable sales and lettings of property, which are harder to secure
in the current market. The problem is compounded now squatters have
access to good quality advice about their rights and how to delay
the process of eviction (just Google "squatters rights"
to see what I mean!).
There remains a common misconception that possession proceedings
are slow and expensive. This does not have to be the case. In many
cases, if a property owner acts quickly upon discovering their
property is being squatted they are entitled to apply for an
Interim Possession Order (IPO) which, if properly prepared and
supported, can allow the owner to recover possession within as
little as 5 days. A final Order must be secured at a final
