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England and Wales coloured cream The Library House squat in London, 2009 The Square Occupied Social Centre, a now-evicted squat in Russell Square, London. In England and Wales, squatting – taking possession of land or an empty house the squatter does not own – is a criminal or civil offence, depending on circumstances.
Squatting in Northern Ireland was unaffected by the recent law change in England and Wales, and remains a civil matter. [142] Squatting in Scotland is a criminal offence, punishable by a fine or imprisonment, under the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865. The owner or lawful occupier of the property has the right to evict squatters without notice or ...
In the late 1960s, the Family Squatters Advisory Service (FSAS) was founded in London, England, to help defend the rights of squatters. [1] [2] In the 1973 case of McPhail vs. Persons Unknown, the Court of Appeal stated that a landowner could re-enter a squatted property and use reasonable force to evict those occupying the property, while remaining exempt from the Forcible Entry Act.
Rules regarding squatting commercial properties remained as layout in Section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977. The act was criticised by the charities Crisis and The Big Issue Foundation as criminalising the homeless, [ 18 ] possibly causing a sharp rise in homelessness, and benefitting landlords that leave their buildings empty. [ 19 ]
Adverse possession in common law, and the related civil law concept of usucaption (also acquisitive prescription or prescriptive acquisition), are legal mechanisms under which a person who does not have legal title to a piece of property, usually real property, may acquire legal ownership based on continuous possession or occupation without the permission of its legal owner.
Squatters' Action for Secure Homes (SQUASH) is an activist group formed first in the 1990s in the United Kingdom to represent the interests of squatters and to fight the proposed criminalisation of squatting. It then reformed in 2011, when there were again parliamentary discussions about making squatting illegal.
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Mr Ellis began occupying a house on Strathleven Road, Brixton, owned by Lambeth London Borough Council in July 1985, alongside other squatters.Four years later, he began exercising control over access to the property.